Who? Paul Doran, 36, England & Wales-qualified solicitor and principal of Belfast firm Paul Doran Employment Law.

Why is he in the news? Acted for 18 male workers at a university in Wales who won a pay rise and around £500,000 in compensation after suing for sex discrimination.

The caretakers and tradesmen took the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) to an employment tribunal claiming they were paid less than women on the same pay grade. The university conceded that the equal pay claims had merit, but stressed that the disparity in salaries was related to decisions made more than seven years ago at the now-dissolved Swansea Metropolitan University, which merged with UWTSD in 2013.

It agreed to pay compensation and give a pay rise to the claimants and five more men on the same pay grade.

A university spokesman said: ‘We came to the view the original claim presented by staff to the former Swansea Metropolitan University had due merit and, as a result, an appropriate remedy should be agreed and actioned.’

Thoughts on the case: ‘My clients, in common with many women in the same situation, found themselves bashing their heads against a brick wall and getting nowhere. While it is disappointing that they were required to take it to tribunal, the acknowledgement they were right all along will be just as enjoyable as the compensation they will receive.’

Route to the case: ‘I worked with Stefan Cross on several high-profile equal pay cases, including Birmingham City Council. My clients did their homework and approached me because of my track record.’

Career high: ‘This case, because it is the first high-profile case undertaken by my own firm, which I established in 2013.’

Career low: ‘I was working in England, but was told to stand in at the last moment at a hearing in Scotland. And so I turned up at the court in Glasgow, only to find that I should have been in Edinburgh. I got there, but the judge laid into me for being late.’

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