Employment Law Solicitors Essex, Brentwood & Romford

Employment law primarily exists to protect all employees (and, to a lesser extent, workers). There is legislation to cover all aspect of employment, from working hours and conditions to the right to maternity / paternity leave. Employment law can also offer protection to employers, in that as long as an employer complies with the law and behaves reasonably, the risk of an Employment Tribunal claim is minimised.

A solicitor can assist at all stages of an employment matter, from start to finish. A barrister will usually only be used when there is a hearing in the Employment Tribunal.

If you are an employee who has been offered a settlement agreement, you must take independent advice from an employment solicitor before signing the agreement. If you are an employer and are at all unsure as to whether your terms and conditions of employment, and/or your policies and procedures are legally complaint, you should seek advice from an employment solicitor. Anyone who is involved in an Employment Tribunal claim will benefit from specialist advice and assistance.

At the initial consultation, we will take a full history of your matter and review any relevant documents. We will then advice as to your legal position, and tell you what, if any, action you can take. Our advice will then be confirmed in writing afterwards, which is included in the initial fee of £500 plus VAT charged at 20%.

Our regulators require us to provide pricing information on our website for some of the areas of work that we undertake, we therefore set out pricing for these areas, as well as those areas of work that we undertake on a fixed fee basis here. For a quotation on fees on the other areas of work we cover, you will need to contact the teams directly to discuss your circumstances.

Yes! In fact, this is what we aim for. It is usually preferable for all parties if agreement can be reached without the need for lengthy and expensive tribunal proceedings.

Once a claim has been issued, the respondent employer will have 28 days in which to respond. At that point, the file will be referred to an Employment Judge who will give “directions” – these are requirements to help the case move along and make sure that all parties have the information that they need. Directions may include a preliminary hearing, timescales for the parties to exchange documentary evidence, and witness statements. Ultimately there will be a final hearing (trial) at which the Tribunal will make a decision.

Yes. As a general rule, a claim must be brought within 3 months less one day from the date of the event complained of. The clock will be stopped for some or all of any period of ACAS Early Conciliation. Calculating the time limit can be complicated, and extensions of time are rarely granted, so it is important to seek advice on this point.

You should – there are legal requirements around the consultation that employers must engage in prior to making redundancies, and failing to use a fair procedure for selecting the roles that are redundant can lead to a claim for unfair dismissal. Involving a solicitor at an early stage can help you to navigate those requirements.