The Equality Act 2010 Flashcards
(16 cards)
Under s 29 of the Equality Act, solicitors serving clients must not:
A. Refuse service based on a protected characteristic
B. Increase fees for disabled clients
C. Change office opening hours
D. Delegate tasks to paralegals
A. Refuse service based on a protected characteristic
Explanation: Section 29 prohibits discrimination in service provision, terms or refusals on any protected ground .
The anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled clients requires firms to:
A. Wait until a client requests help
B. Identify and remove barriers in advance
C. Only adjust physical premises
D. Charge extra for auxiliary aids
B. Identify and remove barriers in advance
Explanation: The duty is anticipatory—firms must think ahead and adjust practices, features or provide aids before requests .
Which SRA Code provision requires solicitors to consider clients’ attributes and needs?
A. CCS 1.1
B. CCS 2.3
C. CCS 3.4
D. CCS 4.2
C. CCS 3.4
Explanation: CCS 3.4 mandates taking account of a client’s attributes, needs and circumstances, including disability .
As firm-owners, solicitors must lead on EDI under which SRA Principle?
A. Principle 2
B. Principle 4
C. Principle 5
D. Principle 6
D. Principle 6
Explanation: Principle 6 requires all regulated persons/firms to encourage equality, diversity & inclusion .
A solicitor-employee is overlooked for promotion due to pregnancy. Which route can she take?
A. Bring a direct discrimination claim against her employer
B. File a complaint with the SDT
C. Ask the Law Society to intervene
D. Appeal to the Legal Ombudsman
A. Bring a direct discrimination claim against her employer
Explanation: As an employee, she can claim direct discrimination under the Act for less favourable treatment .
A partner institutes a recruitment policy requiring heavy lifting, disadvantaging female candidates. This is:
A. Direct discrimination
B. Indirect discrimination
C. Harassment
D. Victimisation
B. Indirect discrimination
Explanation: A neutral PCP (lifting requirement) that disproportionately disadvantages women, unless justified, is indirect discrimination .
A firm fails to install an induction loop, making services inaccessible to Deaf clients. This is a breach of:
A. Section 13 (direct discrimination)
B. Section 19 (indirect discrimination)
C. Section 29 (service provision)
D. Section 26 (harassment)
D. Section 26 (harassment)
Explanation: Failing aids may create an intimidating or hostile environment for disabled clients, amounting to harassment
Which section covers victimisation when a solicitor is penalised for raising a discrimination complaint?
A. Section 27
B. Section 13
C. Section 19
D. Section 29
A. Section 27
Explanation: Section 27 defines victimisation as detriment for doing a protected act, like bringing proceedings
A solicitor instructs counsel but excludes those from a particular ethnic background. This breaches:
A. CCS 1.1 on unfair discrimination
B. Principle 1 on the rule of law
C. Principle 3 on independence
D. CCS 4.5 on confidentiality
A. CCS 1.1 on unfair discrimination
Explanation: CCS 1.1 forbids letting personal views or biases affect professional relationships, including counsel selection
If a firm only reacts to adjustment requests rather than anticipating needs, it breaches the:
A. Direct discrimination duty
B. Harassment provisions
C. Indirect discrimination test
D. Duty to make reasonable adjustments
D. Duty to make reasonable adjustments
Explanation: The duty is anticipatory; waiting for requests fails the proactive requirement
A solicitor-owner fails to collect staff diversity data or provide EDI training. This breaches:
A. Principle 2
B. Principle 3
C. Principle 5
D. Principle 6
D. Principle 6
Explanation: Encouraging equality, diversity & inclusion entails training and data collection to monitor progress
A firm providing legal advice over video fails to caption sessions, disadvantaging hearing-impaired clients. This is best characterised as:
A. Direct discrimination
B. Indirect discrimination
C. Harassment
D. Failure to make auxiliary aids under the reasonable adjustments duty
D. Failure to make auxiliary aids under the reasonable adjustments duty
Explanation: Not providing captioning is a failure to supply an auxiliary aid, one of the three adjustment types
What does your provided material say about limitation periods for Equality Act claims?
A. They must be brought within six months of the act
B. They must be brought within two years of the act
C. The materials do not specify any time limits
D. They must be brought within one year of the act
C. The materials do not specify any time limits
Explanation: Your slides note that limitation periods (e.g. for employment tribunals) are not detailed and require external reference.
A job advert requires all applicants to work full-time hours, disadvantaging those with childcare commitments (predominantly women). This is an example of:
A. Direct discrimination
B. Indirect discrimination
C. Harassment
D. Victimisation
B. Indirect discrimination
Explanation: A neutral rule (full-time requirement) that disproportionately disadvantages a protected group unless justified is indirect discrimination.
Which of the following is not listed as a remedy under the Equality Act in your materials?
A. Compensation for injury to feelings
B. Injunctions to stop discriminatory practices
C. Orders requiring specific reasonable adjustments
D. Punitive damages
D. Punitive damages
Explanation: Your materials cover compensation, injunctions/declarations, and reasonable-adjustment orders—but not punitive damages.
A firm delivers online advice but fails to provide captioning, making it inaccessible to Deaf clients. This omission is a failure to:
A. Change a provision, criterion or practice
B. Remove or alter a physical feature
C. Provide an auxiliary aid under the reasonable-adjustments duty
D. Show objective justification for a PCP
C. Provide an auxiliary aid under the reasonable-adjustments duty
Explanation: Captioning is an auxiliary aid; failing to supply it breaches the anticipatory reasonable-adjustments duty.
