Stephen Hurley

Thesis title: The protection of non-religious philosophical belief in the British workplace

Start year: 2020

Contact: 19140137@brookes.ac.uk

Supervisor(s): Professor Peter Edge, Professor Lucy Vickers

Research topic

My research considers the legal protection of non-religious philosophical belief in the British workplace. Legal protection for ‘religion or belief’ has been in place for some time in Great Britain, most recently reflected in the protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. Following legislative changes, to be protected under that Act, a philosophical belief no longer needs to be similar to a religious belief. Recent case law has raised interesting and important questions about what beliefs should be protected, what factors should be used to decide which beliefs obtain protection and who should decide such issues. My research considers these questions and also issues such as whether and, if so, why such belief in general is worthy of protection and the appropriate form of protection that might be justified taking into account different possible sources of protection such as equality law, unfair dismissal law and contract law.

General research interests

Employment Law, Discrimination Law, Disability Law

Academic school / department

School of Law and Social Sciences

Publications

Hurley, S (2019) ‘The fraudster at work: the interaction of the criminal justice process with the operation of an employer’s disciplinary procedures’ in Monaghan C and Monaghan N (eds) Financial Crime and Corporate Misconduct: A Critical Evaluation of Fraud Legislation (Routledge, 2019)
Hurley, S (2016) ‘A growing issue: fat shaming and disability harassment’ 166 NLJ 7690 p10

Teaching experience

University of Worcester (Employment Law, Disability Law, Contract Law) 2016-present

Professional information

Memberships of professional bodies

Law and Religion Scholars Network
Employment Lawyers Association
Discrimination Law Association
Institute of Employment Rights
Industrial Law Society
Society of Legal Scholars
The Law Society of England & Wales

Conferences

Hurley, S (2017) ‘The fraudster at work: the interaction of the criminal justice process with the operation of an employer’s disciplinary procedures’ in The Fraud Act 2006 – Ten Years On workshop, University of Worcester, 2017
Hurley, S (2012) ‘Positive Action Powers in ss158, 159 Equality Act 2010’, Greenwich University Postgraduate Conference 2012 (unpublished)
‘Judging books by their covers – perceived disability discrimination’, School of Law Research Seminar, University of Worcester, February 2018
‘Access to Justice as a fundamental legal principle and Tribunal Fees: panel discussion on the UK Supreme Court’s decision in the UNISON case (R (on the application of UNISON) v The Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51) (with HH Toby Hooper QC and Chris Monaghan), University of Worcester, October 2017
‘Fat Shaming and Disability Harassment’, School of Law Research Seminar, University of Worcester, December 2016
‘Is Veganism a philosophical belief? Should Vegans have more rights at work than other people?’, University of Worcester, August 2020
‘What is a Disability? Is that a legal, medical or political question?’, Worcestershire Medico-Legal Society, University of Worcester, November 2019
‘Fat Shaming and Disability Harassment’, Community Group, Worcester, February 2019
‘Social Media in the Workplace: Lessons from Employment Law’, University of Worcester, March 2018

Further details

Academic and professional training

LLB (Hons), PgDip, MPS
Solicitor (England & Wales)
FHEA