A PARTNER at a major Liverpool law firm was sacked because she fell pregnant, she claimed yesterday.

Sarah Sweeney, who says DLA Piper sexually discriminated against her, branded the firm an “old boys’ club”.

A senior partner at DLA Piper was also accused of slapping her bottom after she rebuffed his advances.

She also alleged Philip Rooney, the managing partner in the firm’s Liverpool office, said women who have children should not return to work.

Last night, DLA Piper said it would strongly contest all her allegations.

Ms Sweeney, 36, made the claims during the opening day of an employment tribunal in Liverpool yesterday.

The former real estate partner is claiming she was sacked because the firm’s management found out she and her husband were trying to start a family.

The tribunal heard Ms Sweeney and husband Paul started having IVF treatment in July 2008 after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

By November 2008, Ms Sweeney, then three months pregnant, was being handed her notice.

But Gavin Mansfield, representing DLA, said Ms Sweeney had “exaggerated” her claims about the culture of the firm to bolster her case.

He said the firm needed to lose senior staff due to the credit crunch and she was the “most dispensable”.

Ms Sweeney said Mark Beardwood, one of two equity partners in the real estate team, asked her if her husband’s illness would affect her plans to have a family.

She told the tribunal: “I was quite shocked he asked the question. It was not a topic we had discussed previously.

“I thought it would be clear from my response we intended to have a family and that was not something I was particularly open about.”

She claimed her honesty meant she was earmarked for the sack when the firm needed to cut costs after the credit crunch.

Mr Mansfield explained how the senior managers were trawling through the staff to decide who should go in spring 2008.

Addressing Ms Sweeney, he said: “One of the things you say is all of this assessment being carried out by management was being infected by the attitude of the Liverpool partners Mr Beardwood and Mr Rooney, the management were ‘poisoned’ by the view of Mr Rooney and Mr Beardwood.

“Is that because you say Mr Beardwood and Mr Rooney were infected by the view you were a married woman of child-bearing age?”

Ms Sweeney replied: “I think that was the major factor for them in their discussions at the time.”

Later, Mr Mansfield asked Ms Sweeney: “With Mr Rooney, you say he told you he does not believe mothers can or should work.

“He told you that in 1998? That is not what Mr Rooney said.”

But Ms Sweeney replied: “That is what Mr Rooney said to me.

“It was a department night out at the races in Chester. I was alarmed by the comments because Mr Rooney was group head of real estate and had a very important senior role.

“He also said he thought men’s role in society was difficult and confused because of the changes in the way women work.”