A former Allen & Overy solicitor sacked for writing an erotic blog that allegedly used the names of her co-workers and a client is claiming £3.5m compensation from the firm for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.

Former senior associate Deidre Clark, 44, who wrote under the pseudonym Deidre Dare, appeared in the East London employment tribunal yesterday.

Clark was sacked for gross misconduct in January 2009. Allen & Overy told the tribunal that she should not be allowed to bring her case in English courts, as she was based in Moscow when she wrote the blog.

An Allen & Overy spokesman said today: ‘We are entirely satisfied that the termination of Ms Clark's employment was justified and lawful, and will defend Ms Clark's claim vigorously.’

A skeleton argument filed by Matrix Chambers’ Thomas Linden QC for Allen & Overy said: ‘In or about October 2008, the claimant set up a website called Philosophy Can Be Sexy (deidredare.com) onto which she uploaded photographs of herself in revealing outfits and what were apparently intended to be alluring poses, "poetry" (some of which was apparently intended to be erotic) and a blog known as "Expat". The website also identified the claimant by name.

‘The names of a number of the characters corresponded with the names of [Allen & Overy’s] employees in the Moscow office, it was derogatory about Russia and Russians, and it used the name of a client.

‘Although it was intended to be fictional, some of the events it described were factual, and in any event it was clearly capable of being understood to be based on fact.’

The skeleton argument stated that the firm ‘instructed several times’ that the blog be taken down when it was discovered in December 2008, but Clark ‘refused to do so’. The papers stated that the stories ‘directly linked [Clark] to Allen & Overy’.

The case continues.