Employment
Employment is a complex area of law. Your rights are not always as straightforward as you may think, and employment rights usually have a short limitation period which is why it is important to seek prompt expert advice when faced with an employment issue such as a query over contract terms, a dispute with your employer or a termination package.
Employment Law
All employees are protected by strict employment law legislation which regulates the relationship between an employee and employer. It covers the employee’s rights whilst at work and ensures the rights of both the employer and employee are protected. Employment law covers matters such as pay, discrimination, holiday, conduct in the workplace, workplace safety, dismissal, redundancy and more.
At Beverley Morris & Co, we provide expert employment law advice to a wide range of clients regardless of the stage of their career or the complexity of their employment law matter. We understand that facing an issue at work can significantly impact one’s personal life so it is essential to resolve the same quickly and cost effectively.
Please contact Huw if you wish to discuss instructing us in connection with an employment matter or for more information.
020 8852 4433
huw@beverleymorris.co.uk
Expert Employment Law Advice
For employees facing redundancy, any form of discrimination or unfair dismissal, our specialist employment law solicitors provide expert employment advice and guidance.
Our employment law solicitors will help you by reviewing the facts of your case and letting you know the options open to you, providing a route to resolve your employment dispute in the most efficient way possible and with minimal effects on your professional life. We can also provide advice on settlement agreements and employment contracts. This is a complex area of law so getting expert advice early on is essential.
In some cases, there is an Early Conciliation process you must follow before you can lodge a claim with the Employment Tribunal, called Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ‘ACAS’. The process is there to try to resolve matters amicably without the need to go to court.
Where possible, we work towards settling disputes before they reach an Employment Tribunal, guiding you through the ACAS process or via determined and skilled negotiation. If your dispute cannot be resolved during early mediation or if the ACAS process fails, we are confident in pursuing matters through to the Employment Tribunal to put forth a claim for when a settlement has not been reached.
How our Employment Law Solicitors can help
Beverley Morris & Co. have a wealth of experience in dealing with employment disputes. We offer an approachable, practical approach with your best interests at the forefront of our service. We can help you with a wide range of matters, including:
- Settlement / Compromise Agreements
- Contract Disputes / Changes to Terms and Conditions
- Disciplinary, Grievance and Capability Procedures
- Harassment, Bullying and Victimisation
- Whistleblowing
- Employment Tribunals
- Discrimination (related to sex, race, disability, age, religion and sexual orientation)
- Redundancy, Lay Off and Short-Time Working
- Unfair/Wrongful/Constructive Dismissal
Employment Law Specialists, Blackheath
Beverley Morris & Co. have the experience, knowledge and skill necessary to provide you with confidence that we can effectively fight your corner. Our specialist employment law solicitors in Blackheath have provided employment law services to clients across London and the South East for many years. We work with employees of all types, from all kinds of businesses, doing our best to provide positive outcomes to employment disputes. If you have a disagreement at work that you have not resolved yourself, call our expert team today for an honest appraisal of your situation. We can help with all employment law related issues. For sensible, affordable advice, contact us today.
Our Fees
We will always ensure you are fully aware of all costs involved and your solicitor will explain these to you. For more information, you can contact our team or make an online enquiry. You can also find more information on our fees and disbursements for Employment Tribunals by viewing the information below or clicking here: to visit our Employment Law Fees page.
How may we help you?
Advice to employees on the terms and effects of a settlement agreement with their employer is usually charged as a fixed fee with the employer paying all or part.
Please contact Huw for more information:
020 8852 4433
huw@beverleymorris.co.uk
We have experience in a wide range of employment disputes from simple unfair dismissal and contract claims to more complex whistleblowing, seven figure discrimination, jurisdictional, bonus, pension and fiduciary disputes.
It is difficult to predict costs for employment tribunal cases with any degree of certainty because costs will reflect the type of claim from the simple to the more complex as well as the number of issues and witnesses, the extent to which witnesses are able to provide cogent first drafts of witness statements and the volume of documentary evidence.
Other facts which could make a case more complicated could include: making or defending an application to amend a claim or to provide further documents or for information about a claim or for costs; defending claims brought by a litigant in person; where an employer considers that there is point of principle or of strategic importance at stake and decides to spend a disproportionate sum in resisting the claim; and where there are proceedings afoot in more than one country.
The value of a claim is also likely to be relevant in that a high-value claim may justify pursuing documents, issues and tactics which might be disproportionate in the case of a less valuable claim.
It is not always possible to know the value of a claim at the outset of a case because the ability of the Claimant to mitigate their loss may be unknown.
More information about our legal fees for Employment Tribunal Claims.
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
- Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing claim or response
- Reviewing and advising on claim or response from another party
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- Preparing or considering a schedule of loss
- Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- Preparing bundle of documents
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
- Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are an indication and some of the stages above may not be required. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 4 to 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 26 to 52 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
An initial consultation for advice on a new contract of employment or a dispute arising whilst still employed, or after having left employment will usually involve a one to two hour meeting, review of your documentation and sending a confirmatory letter of advice. This work is charged at £280 per hour plus VAT and is likely to cost in the region of £500 to £1,000 plus VAT but the actual costs will depend upon the complexity of your instructions, the volume of documents and the issues.
Most statutory employment claims have a very short limitation period requiring prompt action on the part of an employee and it is therefore important that you act promptly or you may miss a limitation period.
Similarly, if you are still employed but you consider that your employer has done something fundamentally wrong then it is important to take speedy advice because if you continue to work but then wish to raise the matter at a later date, you may be deemed to have waived and lost the right to claim constructive dismissal.
We advise you to check your insurance policies to see whether you have “before the event legal expenses insurance” and, if so, whether it provides cover for an employment claim. If it does, then most policies will require prompt notification to your insurer. Many individuals have legal expenses insurance cover included within their home contents insurance without being aware of it. If yours is a policy requiring you to use your insurer’s panel solicitor, then you may wish to see them in the first instance but at the point where you are ready to issue the claim, you should be free to choose your solicitor.