Lara Kennedy

Lara is a partner who works with Kiran Daurka and Paula Lee in the employment department. She specialises in equal pay and discrimination claims.

Lara joined Leigh Day in February 2011 when she advised on complex and high value individual employment and discrimination cases, with a particular focus on senior executives. Her particular focus was on advising on severance packages, maternity and pregnancy discrimination, disability discrimination, race discrimination, sexual harassment and employment status claims.

Legal expertise

Since 2012 Lara has focused on group claims. She worked with Chris Benson on the Birmingham City Council equal pay claims which secured a landmark judgment from the Supreme Court and was instrumental in the success of the case. Lara is currently representing thousands of Tesco store employees in their claims for equal pay against their better paid male distribution colleagues.

Before joining Leigh Day Lara worked at Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP where she advised on both contentious and non-contentious employment matters and acted for individual claimants and respondents. She has experience in:

• Discrimination, victimisation and harassment
• Unfair and wrongful dismissal
• TUPE
• Redundancy
• Severance negotiations
• Wages disputes

Having initially started her training as a barrister, Lara qualified as a solicitor in September 2015. As part of her training she undertook work in the human rights department including time spent in the education team.

Lara is experienced in all stages of litigation from commencement to settlement.

Education: Lara has a first class masters in Employment Law, completed the Bar Vocational Course and gained a distinction in her Legal Practice Course.

ELA responses

Lara has contributed to the Employment Lawyers Association Government Responses on:

• Flexible Working
• Response to Call for Evidence: Non-Statutory Flexible Working
• Menopause and the Workplace
• Making Flexible Working the Default
  
• Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination: Extending Redundancy Protection for Women and
• New Parents 
  
• Good Working Plan: Support Families 

Publications and blogs

• Indirect discrimination on grounds of sex Discrimination Law Association Briefings November 2023 Volume 80 1062-1074
• CJEU confirms Article 157 TFEU has direct effect in equal value claims Employment Lawyers Association
• Barnard v Hampshire Fire & Rescue: stable working relationships. This article was first published in ELA Briefing 1.2.20 
• Supreme Court rules judges are protected by whistle-blowing legislation DLA Briefing article
• Equal Value: Comparability (4,500 words) DLA Article
• Sullivan v Bury Street Capital Ltd DLA Briefing
• Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall v Town DLA Briefing
• Supreme Court rules judges are protected by whistle-blowing legislation DLA article
• Glover v Lacoste UK Ltd (Sex discrimination; point at which a PCP of flexible working was applied to the detriment of the claimant) DLA Briefing
• A Year in Equal Pay' Co-authored with Tariro Nyoka
• Article on pregnancy discrimination, Welcome to the Jungle
• Supermarket Bosses Awarded Millions In Salaries And Bonuses While Failing To Tackle Unequal Pay For Shop Floor Workers Equal Pay Now
• Cost Of Living Crisis And Pandemic Cause Shop Floor Workers’ Stress Levels To Rise But Pay Is Still Not Equal Equal Pay Now
• What A Change In Employment Means For An Equal Pay Claim Equal Pay Now
• Tesco Loses Appeal To Withhold Key Information From Its Shop Workers In Their Pursuit For Equal Pay Equal Pay Now
• Watchdog's Report on BBC Equal Pay must not quieten the voices of those fighting for equal pay Equal Pay Now
• Tesco Shop Floor Workers To Appeal Latest Equal Pay Decision Equal Pay Now
• Leigh Day Reacts to Cleaning Staff Cuts Equal Pay Now
• A Step by Step Process to the Supermarket Equal Pay Claims Equal Pay Now
• The Equal Pay Act is 50 Years Old - But Should we Celebrate or Commiserate? Equal Pay Now
• Ten Changes That Need To Be Made to Close the Equal Pay Gap Equal Pay Now
• Equality Act 2010: Five Signs We’re On Our Way To Achieving Equality Equal Pay Now

Lara Kennedy in the news

• Lara was interviewed on Woman's Hour 31.10.22 talking about maternity discrimination.