UK’s Best Workplaces: Disability Excellence Award. May 23, 2010
Posted by travisthetrout in In the News.add a comment
On Thursday the FT included a supplement publication: UK’s Best Workplaces. They look at a variety of factors: quality of life, Health and Wellbeing, learning and development, job security and pay to name a few.
The only Law Firm that made the cut? Wragge and Co. LLP.
But what intrigued me the most was that Wragge & Co also won the “Disability Excellence Award”.
“The aim [of the award] is to highlight organisations that incorporate a number of best practices that go beyond legal compliance and are also able to demonstrate that a positive attitude towards disability is embedded in their workplace culture rather than being simply an “add-on”.”
This sounds like a positive award to promote – but I would like to hope that most large businesses who certainly have the resources would go beyond legal compliance. Some small companies/businesses I’ve worked for have been fantastic regarding disability support, including non-profits – so large companies should definitely be able to go above and beyond. (Although I will add one Top 10 law firm I interviewed with struggled to outline their disability policy.)
When commenting on Wragge and Co themselves the publication said:
Wragge & Co has provided some real evidence of how it has gone beyond legal compliance to strive for best practice on disability. It sees action on disability as an opportunity to widen its talent pool and support employees, rather than focusing on issues such as health and safety.
Again, this all sounds very positive, but I was disappointed that there was no further information of what they did, what the “real evidence” was etc – after all, we should be using this to inspire other firms to make a proper “investment” in employees with disabilities, to see past the “practical” issues and notice their talent!
I did have a browse on Wragge’s own website (nice website I had not visited it before) and failed to find any further information on this. I will add that on their facts and figures page they only list 2 employees with a “declared disability” but I do applaud their openness with the employee / diversity figures.
However, I am still intrigued by their actual practices and approach to disability – after all something must have made them stand apart from the rest. So anyone kind enough to point me in the right direction – I’d appreciate it.
How to get kicked off a train… Write a List March 19, 2010
Posted by travisthetrout in Daily Commute, In the News.1 comment so far
While sitting on the train during my commute yesterday, I was shocked to read in the paper that a man was kicked off a train for writing a list including the band the Killers.
The Press Association (18/03/2010):
A musician has spoken of his shock at being removed from a train for “behaving suspiciously” by writing a list of songs which included the band name The Killers.
Tom Shaw was travelling on South West Trains when he began writing a list of song titles which his band The Magic Mushrooms would play at a forthcoming gig.
But the 25-year-old was approached by two security staff employed by the train company and asked to leave the train at Fareham railway station.
The world has gone mad.
It is one thing to employ “a team of highly professional rail community officers” completely another to have a bunch of idiots who fail to use their common sense. The fact that the poor guy had to explain the list is also slightly worrying – as it should have been obvious on closer inspection.
Also worrying that these so-called rail community officers can read my writing material – I manage my to-do list for the day on my morning commute and work on my blog postings in the afternoon (or sleep). Plenty of commuters (many of which are lawyers) work on the train – amending contracts, reading updates etc. Many other commuters work on computers – replying to emails, working with spreadsheets and reading reports. And those that are students frequently study. Does this mean that everyone’s material can be read if they are acting suspiciously? (whatever “suspiciously” might be). What about all the blackberry and iphone users… surely common sense should prevail and we should be able to read and write what we like on a train – otherwise how else will one pass the time. Sure we all casually glance around to see what others are doing, but I’ve never seen anyone writing or reading anything to cause concern.
Review of Rape Legislation – My views. August 5, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in In the News.5 comments
It was reported today in the Times that -
Ms Harman vetoed the review at the last minute because she has wants the legislative proposals are toughened up to better address the concerns of women.
…
Ms Harman is understood to want a more radical overhaul of the law which could include targets for prosecutors and police to secure more convictions.
I shall never understand this country’s obsession with TARGETS. Yes, the conviction rate is pretty much non-existent (for many reasons) – but if there is not enough evidence there is not enough evidence – rape unfortunately is one of those things that women do lie about and it would be unfair for those falsely accused to be convicted of such a serious crime – simply to meet government targets rather than having anything to do with evidence. I am not saying nothing should be done – as a rape victim myself (whose case got nowhere I will add, through no fault of my own) – I do believe that not enough is being done. But in no way is meeting quotas going to help. Although we aim to protect women and victims, we cannot and shouldn’t make the law too one sided.
Campaigners say that women face a culture of disbelief and delayed responses from police, which can mean vital evidence being lost, and that more training is required to ensure that rape is treated as a serious crime.
They also suggest that juries need more guidance. Research has found that many believe that if a women did not do everything to fight off her attacker, or if she had been drinking, she was complicit.
I do agree with these comments in the times article – based on my own experience with the police and with friends. 2 years ago I was raped by one of my best friends in my own house after a night out. It was a confusing experience (because it was a close friend rather than a stranger, and because our mutual friends were torn over who to believe) so I didn’t go to the police right away. I left it a few days. Which was wrong in their eyes – and to them it was me “covering my tracks” and they accused me of lying and simply cheating on my boyfriend. They used the fact I didn’t tell my parents against me (given that they live abroad I didn’t want to worry them at the time, I told them when I saw them face to face). And the used the fact that I had been drinking against me. It was also dealt with by a male police officer which also made me feel uncomfortable. They also accused me of not telling them things (when I did), ridiculed me and made me feel worthless. This was at a point when I had lost my best friends, been kicked out my house, was commuting an hour to uni and was *trying* to study for my 2nd yr law exams on top of being raped.
I would hope that not everyone experiences the same thing I did with the police. I think support needs to be there for people to encourage them to go to the police in the first place – low conviction rate, why put yourself through all the stress. Secondly, this issue is a sensitive one, and one that should be dealt with accordingly. That said, my issues, based on my experience are with the system are nothing to do with the law (although it does need a review) and everything to do with the police. At the time I knew there would not be a conviction, but I hoped by reporting it it may help some other person later down the line.
It’s been 2 years now, and there is many a night I still cry myself to sleep and many a day when I burst into tears for no reason. Sometimes simply because there was just so many unresolved issues. That year was the worst year of my life, trying to piece my life back together and salvage my 2.1 after my miserable exam performance. Even now some things aren’t the same. I could never expect the law or the police to solve the issues I have but it would have been nice to feel at some point during the whole thing that someone was on my side.
My rant over. Let them continue to fight amongst themselves.
Juror Jonathan March 15, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in In the News, Twitter.add a comment
Only noticed this today, but apparently it’s been getting a lot of media attention (here, here and here). The juror, now known as Juror Jonathan twittered before and after jury duty – the tweets appear to be harmless simply informing friends about his jury duty. The defendants are clearly looking for any excuse to appeal, and clearly have no idea about the internet. I would say typical of America, but I’m sure the same fuss would have been made here. unfortunately.
I am in disbelief at how this has even become an issue. Surely everyone should get that “two angry men” is simply a reference to 12 angry men (which to be honest it the only thing most people know about jury service) and that they were not looking for help on the verdict. The verdict had already been made when he tweeted. (The Verdict is another cracking law movie, well worth a comparison with 12 Angry Men).
What needs to be fixed here, is the lack of understanding of how technology works. The one simple rule approach blogged about by Deliberations, would definitely be a good starting point.
