Firm News

Mishcon de Reya Rescues Student from Shabbos Exam

Release Date:

23 May 2008

Mishcon de Reya recently persuaded a University to exempt an Orthodox Jewish student from having to sit an exam on the Jewish Sabbath, a weekly day of rest and worship observed from an hour before sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.    Sitting an exam on the Sabbath would have offended the student's closely held religious beliefs.

The third year psychology student was told by his university that he would either have to sit the exam during the Sabbath or wait to sit the exam during the University's re-sit period for those who had failed the exam in their first attempt.

Mishcon de Reya commenced legal proceedings with the result that a week before the exam the University agreed that the student could sit the exam one day early.

Anthony Julius said that under current employment and race relations legislation, the University’s original decision to make the student sit the exam during the re-sit period was discriminatory. He added that Britain’s student population is diverse and all students should be free to attend University secure in the knowledge that their religious beliefs will not be compromised.

Anthony Julius led on the matter with Alexandra Fawcett and Ben Parry-Smith assisting.