Maternity and parental rights

* Camilla Palmer and Joanna Wade, 2nd edition, Legal Action Group in association with the Maternity Alliance, 242 Pentonville Road, London N1 9UN, 529 pages, paperback, £20.00

This is a definitive guide to the law on maternity rights. Both authors are solicitors who work exclusively in the field of discrimination, maternity and parental rights and bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding to the issues covered in the book. They also both sit as part-time chairs of employment tribunals and therefore have an in-depth knowledge of how the legal system operates in practice.

This 2nd edition greatly expands on an earlier edition published in 1996,with new sections on parental leave and an expanded section on child-friendly working.

The detail contained in the book makes it more suitable for advisors or others dealing extensively with the issues it covers than for the majority of workplace representatives.

But it is a very useful source of information and should certainly be checked when considering taking a claim to a tribunal.

The law is that as stated in England and Wales up to 31 March 2001.