Lawyer in the news

Who? Andrew James, a 39-year-old Leeds-based team manager in the employment department of trades union firm Thompsons.

Why is he in the news? Acted for Matthew Thompson, an administrative assistant at Stockport Job Centre, who brought a claim for sexual discrimination against the Department for Work and Pensions.

The job centre imposed a dress code which required men to wear a collar and tie but did not impose corresponding requirements on women.

It gave Mr Thompson a verbal and written warning for his failure to comply.

He argued he was discriminated against, as men working for the job centre were being subjected to a higher dress standard than female colleagues.

The job centre did introduce restrictions on women's dress as well - allowing them to wear Dr Marten shoes, for example, but not with summer dresses - but a tribunal found in Mr Thompson's favour last week.

Background: Read law and sociology at Durham University followed by Law Society finals at Northumberland University, before being articled with Newcastle firm David Gray & Co.

He qualified in 1991 and moved to Thompsons in 1999.

Route to the case: The Public and Civil Servants Union - which Mr Thompson belongs to - took his case on through its Leeds office, from where it was passed to Mr James.

Thoughts on the case: 'I am delighted with the result.

I think that anything that challenges the stereotypical assumptions about men and women is a positive thing.

I sincerely hope that Job Centre Plus's management [job centres' administrators] will now sit down and negotiate a non-discriminatory dress code with the Public and Civil Servants Union - there will be a lot more claims if they don't.'

Dealing with the media: 'The media has generally been sympathetic and supportive.

Initially - when the case was heard in Manchester - it was treated as a light-hearted item.

But once Mr Thompson won his decision it was taken a lot more seriously.'

Jeremy Fleming