Law Firm Highlights Justice Gap in Rising Discrimination Cases

Leading employment firm Magara Law warns of a growing justice gap as rising Employment Tribunal claims and low success rates for discrimination cases expose a legal system struggling to deliver fairness for employees.

Employment tribunal cases have more than doubled in the past seven years, increasing from 17,005 in 2017 to more than 34,000 in 2024.

Despite more employers challenging unfair treatment in the workplace, only a small fraction of discrimination claims succeeds at Employment Tribunals. Just 3% are upheld, with a further 11% upheld in part, as per the Don’t Divide Us Equality Act Report 2025.

Roy Magara, Employment Solicitor Advocate and Founder of Magara Law, warns of a widening justice gap among employers seeking legal justice.

“More people are coming forward to challenge unfair treatment at work, but the legal system is delivering results for only a handful,” Roy said.

“It’s leaving employees disillusioned and employers exposed to repeat disputes.”

Race and gender claims perform particularly poorly. Just 3.8% of race discrimination cases were upheld in full, while 4.2% of sex discrimination cases and 5.4% of pregnancy or maternity claims succeeded fully.

These categories account for nearly half of all Equality Act claims, highlighting that employees are more willing to challenge unfair treatment in the workplace, but tribunal outcomes remain largely ineffective.

Magara Law argues that the Equality Act remains the cornerstone of workplace fairness, even it it’s not yet delivering justice in practice.

Roy added: “When the groups most affected by workplace inequality are the least likely to succeed at tribunal, we must acknowledge there is a clear gap between legal rights and real workplace justice.

“The Equality Act is still the foundation of workplace fairness, but these figures show that without stronger workplace policies and fairer processes, it isn’t doing enough for the people it was designed to protect.”

To help bridge this justice gap, the specialist employment firm recommends that employers take proactive steps to prevent disputes reaching tribunal, warning that litigation is costly, even when claims fail.

The advice from the practice is to strengthen workplace policies, providing accessible training for staff and managers, making recruitment and promotion decisions based on objective evidence, and ensuring grievance processes are clear, trusted, and effective.

Magara Law advises that simple gestures or symbolic equality measures aren’t sufficient, and calls on employers to integrate genuine, legally backed practices into daily workplace culture.

The report also highlights persistent pay gaps and low confidence among employees in raising grievances, showing that workplace culture continues to fall short of the standards set by legal protections.

“These statistics show the law alone is not enough. Employers who take proactive steps in policy and practice will protect both their staff and themselves.

“Those who don’t are likely to see more disputes and a continuing justice gap,” Roy concludes.