Her six-day sexual discrimination hearing kicked off on Monday.

The credit crunch caused vast numbers of casualties in the legal profession. The relatively limited number of reported tribunal claims either meant firms were very even handed, or sacked lawyers wanted to avoid the career-busting red flag employment claims leave on their CV.

Whatever the case, it’s no surprise when claims are made that they tend to be pretty lurid. The going-for-broke nature means no holds barred…

Daily Mail: Under questioning, Mrs Sweeney said she believed her dismissal had come about because management were ‘poisoned’ and ‘infected’ by the partners’ negative attitude to married women of child-bearing age.

She claimed another partner, Paul Firth, slapped her bottom at a DLA function at Tate Liverpool, which is sponsored by the firm.

‘I could not say whether anyone else saw him slap my bottom. He did it as I walked out of the room. I suppose I just accepted it as part of the culture of the firm.’

Mrs Sweeney, who gave birth to a baby boy in May last year, described the firm as ‘an old boys’ club’ saying that ‘at the highest level, the equity partners in the Liverpool office were all male’.

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All of which is denied by the firm of course. In a statement to Legal Week DLA said:

“We strongly contest the allegations that have been made by Sarah in this case and will be calling evidence to rebut all aspects of her claim. The nature of these cases is that the claimant’s evidence, including her allegations, will come first and in this case it is likely to take some time for that evidence to be given and challenged during cross examination. The full picture will not therefore become clear until after we have given our evidence.

“Like any other business, we regret when people leave us because of a change in market conditions but, sadly, in 2008 it was something that we had to face up to as a business, along with many other employers in the legal and professional services sector. At this stage it would be inappropriate to make any further comment.”

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You say sexual discrimination, we say credit crunch.

Which won’t guarantee DLA avoids more uncomfortable headlines.