Our legal powers

We enforce the Equality Act 2010 and have unique powers to investigate when the law isn’t followed.

We’ve assisted or intervened in hundreds of cases of national importance, including holding organisations and the government to account.

The result can be extremely useful, for example by highlighting gaps in protection that need to be addressed.

We take legal action - on our own or on behalf of others – in cases that have the most influence and secure positive change, for example:

• clarifying the law, so people and organisations have a clearer understanding of their rights and duties
• highlighting priority issues to increase public awareness
• challenging practices that cause significant disadvantage, sometimes across a whole industry

Our litigation and enforcement policy sets out how we decide whether to take action.