Sharon Coleman, the mother of a disabled son, has successfully claimed that she was not given the same degree of flexible working by her employer as other members of staff with non-disabled children in the initial stages of a case in the European Court of Justice.

The Advocate-General has agreed that the European Union directive on disability extends to all people who suffer discrimination on groundsof disability.

The case will now go before a full panel of European judges and a final ruling is expected later this year. Coleman accepted voluntary redundancy from her position at law firm Attridge Law in March 2005.