The number of claims being brought by employees in the Employment Tribunals and Courts is ever increasing due to the current economic climate. It is therefore more important than ever to understand employees’ rights and to have policies and procedures in place for managing the employment relationship. Such knowledge is invaluable in trying to avoid problems escalating to a claim but will also prepare you in the event that litigation does arise.
Most contentious employment matters are dealt with in the Employment Tribunal (such as unfair dismissal and discrimination claims). However, parties can also take action through the Courts such as for high value, breach of contract claims and obtaining or defending injunction applications.
Our employment team has a wide range of experience in advising both employers and employees in relation to the whole spectrum of employment litigation in both the Employment Tribunals and the Courts. All members of our team have advocacy experience and deal with matters varying from simple, unfair dismissal claims to more complex, high value cases including discrimination and group action claims.
We can provide experienced assistance in handling all contentious matters, whether for employers or employees, from start to finish. This includes providing a case assessment at the outset detailing the legal merits of the case, the potential compensation and our suggested approach to the claim. Our service also includes dealing with all directions from the tribunal including disclosure of documents, drafting witness statements, attending case management discussions, pre-hearing reviews and hearings, as necessary, as well as dealing with any potential mediation and/or settlement issues.
Recent examples of our work in this area include:
- Acting for an airline in respect of various employment tribunal claims brought by ex-pilots and cabin crew involving unfair dismissal and TUPE issues
- Acting for an airport operator in defending an employment tribunal claim by an air traffic controller, securing a withdrawal of the claim
- Acting for a major national law firm in defending a discrimination claim brought by a solicitor
- Acting for an international manufacturing company in respect of claims brought by ex-employees following a collective redundancy exercise
- Advising a group of 45 former employees in relation to their multi-million pound group action claim against Thomas Cook Group
- Representing various individuals in relation to discrimination claims against former employers, leading to the achievement of six figure settlement sums
- Acting for an employee in relation to a claim against her FTSE 100 employer involving the Data Protection Act and incorrect information on the employee’s personnel file
