Colman Coyle wins appeal against unfair dismissal

A north London law firm has won its appeal against a finding of unfair dismissal in a case brought by a former solicitor last year.An employment tribunal decided that six-partner Colman Coyle was guilty of the unfair dismissal of assistant solicitor Zacharoulla Georgiou.

Ms Georgiou, a commercial conveyancer, claimed that while on maternity leave she was offered 'unacceptable terms' for her return to work - one of the proposed solutions being that she resign from her previous post and take up a new employment position with new terms.However, the appeal tribunal, overturned the decision, saying that the firm's proposal for Ms Georgiou to resign was not the reason for her leaving the firm, and 'the whole tenor of the negotiations did not indicate that there had been a breakdown in mutual trust and confidence'.There was no one available at Colman Coyle to comment.

Ms Georgiou, who is now working as a sole practitioner, declined to comment.Victoria MacCallum