A Court of Appeal ruling on the right of overseas employees to bring tribunal claims in the UK could have implications for international law firms, an employment lawyer suggested this week.

The court ruled that a group of British Airways air stewardesses who are based in Hong Kong are entitled to bring age discrimination claims under UK employment law, because they spent time in the UK resting between flights or on training courses. The air stewardesses are challenging a BA policy obliging them to retire at 45.

Juliet Carp, international employment law solicitor at City firm Speechly Bircham, said the ruling could affect law firms with staff based in foreign offices who may attend occasional meetings in London.

She said: ‘Firms should be aware that foreign nationals from their overseas offices who come here for occasional meetings, such as annual appraisals or briefings, could potentially also be able to have discrimination claims heard by English tribunals.’

Carp said there remained some ‘uncertainty’ around the issue of how much time spent in the UK would give rise to UK employment rights.