Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Discrimination definition

What does Discrimination mean? Discrimination in legal practice describes unfavourable treatment, particular disadvantage, harassment or victimisation because of a protected characteristic, across employment and the provision of services, housing, education and public functions. The concept is defined primarily by legislation and developed through case law. In England & Wales and Scotland, the Equality Act 2010 prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation, discrimination arising from disability, and failure to make reasonable adjustments. Protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. In Northern Ireland,...

Selection interviewing for law firms: structure, behavioural questions, and avoiding bias, stereotyping and discrimination

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Management expert

Practice notes

The top performer in an interview may not, in fact, be the strongest hire. Outstanding lawyers can find it hard to present themselves effectively, while less able peers may deliver polished, stylish performances. This Practice Note looks at:

the structure of the interview
questions to steer clear of
behavioural interviewing
reasons firms can make weak hiring choices
the point at which stereotyping crosses into discrimination

The structure of the interview

A sound selection interview needs clear structure and should be applied consistently to every applicant.

Interview stage

Suggested framework

Making the interviewee feel comfortable

When a candidate is tense or very anxious, it’s difficult to see the real person or draw out fuller answers. Put them at ease before moving into the substantive questions, for example:

offer a glass of water
allow a short pause to settle and gather their thoughts
start softly with brief small talk about the weather or interests noted on their CV

The overview

Invite a brief run‑through of their career so far—this helps you attune to them and allows...

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Beth Pipe , FCIPD

OnLive Learning

Beth is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and has spent over 25 years specialising in Learning and Development. During that time she has worked across a broad variety of different industries and has, for the past 15 years, worked closely with a number of well known law firms; this has involved putting in to place systems and structures to encourage, enable and track the effectiveness of learning activities. Adept at face to face course delivery, and always enjoying excellent feedback, Beth is also accomplished at online delivery and created OnLive Learning in response to the challenges presented by the 2020 Covid-19 restrictions.Beth has written extensively for LexisNexis on subjects such as Performance Management, Managing Change and Stress Management. Away from her training delivery she is a published author writing about local history, hiking, wildlife and the outdoors and is...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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