Tudor Williams acted for deputy head in unfair dismissal case

Who? Tudor Williams, employment law solicitor-advocate at Wrexham firm Tudor Williams & Co.

Why is he in the news? Acted for a Wrexham deputy headmistress who had been dismissed for carrying a six-year-old child from the playground. The teachers became concerned for the safety of the child when, in the summer of 2010, he refused to come indoors. Deputy headmistress Deborah Ellis and a colleague lifted him under the armpits and carried him to the classroom. Ellis was suspended and then dismissed in February 2011 after a two-day disciplinary hearing. Another teacher was also sacked.

Ellis brought an unfair dismissal claim against the governors, but was able to reach a confidential settlement before tribunal proceedings began. A Wrexham Council spokesman said: ‘The hearing was adjourned pending final agreement of a confidential settlement that was acceptable to both parties.’

Thoughts on the case: ‘My client acted in the boy’s best interests. The playground is sometimes used as a shortcut and a man had recently been spotted masturbating nearby. What would a reasonable parent have expected her to have done to protect a child?’

Why become a lawyer? ‘The seeds were sown early in my life when my non-conformist chapel upbringing brought me into contact with miners and others debating Biblical texts.’

Career high: ‘I won a case in the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) around self-employed and employed status that figured in the law books of the time.’

Career low: ‘Losing in the EAT.’