Nabarro could find itself paying a former associate up to £700,000, after an employment appeals tribunal held that it was guilty of breaching disability discrimination laws.

Nick Rudd, a senior associate who had been at the firm for 14 years, claimed that he was dismissed because the firm viewed him as a "commercial liability", Legal Week reported. He suffers from detached retinas which can cause blindness.

The firm agreed to allow him to trial a home working scheme for three months which he began on 1st May 2007. But just one week later Celia Staples, the firm's Director of HR, told him he would no longer be employed.

A flexible worker yesterday

Staples, told the tribunal that she had acted independently of the firm - which sounds suspiciously like taking one for the team. She said that she had dismissed Rudd after he refused to allow her to do a home inspection and then threatened to sue the firm. But the Tribunal was having none of it. It awarded Rudd up to £700,000 compensation and then stuck the knife in by saying "there was not much left of Ms Staples' credibility".

Nabarro refused to comment other than saying it did its utmost to accommodate staff's flexible working needs.