Summary
How secure are you that your staff are meeting the needs of your business? Are you taking on employees or are you exploring different ways of engaging staff?
Are you an employee with a potential claim? Have you been offered a settlement agreement by your employer?
I can help you to answer these sorts of questions and to plan what you might want to do next.
I qualified as an Employment Law Solicitor in May 2016 and, since then, I have advised both employers and employees on a wealth of different scenarios, including (in brief):-
- Drafting contracts of employment and staff handbooks;
- Drafting self-employed contracts;
- Advising on grievance, disciplinary, sickness absence and capability processes;
- Advising on family-friendly rights; flexible working; working time and time off;
- Advising on restructures and redundancy processes;
- Advising on the transfer of employees (or not, as the case might be) in business sale situations;
- Advising on whistleblowing processes, associated detriment and the proper processes to be followed;
- Drafting settlement agreements that meet the needs of the employer, whilst respecting the needs of the employee (ensuring that there is less chance of a successful negotiation from the employee or their representative, or even the need for one in the first place);
- Advising employees on settlement agreements, including entering into negotiations in relation to the terms and/or effect of the same;
- Engaging in Acas Early Conciliation (a process aimed at settling claims without the need to bring a tribunal claim) on behalf of employers and employees;
- Assessing and valuing claims on behalf of employees and employers;
- Advising and representing employers and employees in employment tribunal claims.
I have also worked as an HR Consultant, primarily in the education sector, but also assisting small-to-medium-sized commercial enterprises in various industries from care homes, hospitality, IT, manufacturing, engineering and finance. This improved my knowledge and understanding of the day-to-day issues that employers and employees tackle. It also boosted my creativity as an adviser as there are many steps that can be taken to achieve the result that you want, whilst still complying with the letter of the law.
I then returned to private practise as a solicitor, but with the added benefit of being able to advise on complex processes involving many competing interests. In short, I took that valuable added string to my bow with me to add extra value to my clients, ensuring that they essentially get an employment law solicitor and HR consultant for the price of one of those serves. It continues to save them significant management time and money.
For example, I recently inherited a complex disciplinary appeal from anational HR consultancy practice as the employer felt that its interests were not being served. Upon reviewing the steps that had been taken in the initial disciplinary process, I could see that there were significant holes in the employer's case for dismissing the employee. By sewing up these holes, I managed to secure not only a better chance of successfully defending a claim of unfair dismissal, but also a settlement agreement in which no compensation was paid to the employee (which is something of a rarity in employment law circles).
Additionally, I am equally active on the employee's side of things. I am currently negotiating the terms of several settlement agreements with a national veterinary service provider in which key provisions vital to my employee clients' interests have been omitted. Not only is the employer reviewing these terms, having agreed that the original draft settlement agreements are not fit for purpose, but it is also contributing additional monies towards my clients' contribution for legal fees.
If this information and these scenarios sound of interest to you, then please do not hesitate to contact me for a complimentary, no obligation conversation of up to 30 minutes.