Employment

Talk to an advisor

If you have a question about our services please don’t hesitate to get in touch for further information via our enquiry form or by contacting us

Our employment law specialist Direct Access Barristers are committed to providing high quality arguments and paperwork across the full range of employment law, including equality, discrimination and commercial matters.

We have considerable experience in employment disputes and are able to tackle the most challenging multi-party cases. We have experience of both private and public sectors, across many industries, and at all levels.

We offer a full service to individual clients (whether company directors, members, shareholders, members and partners) or corporate clients (company, LLP, partnership, association) and public bodies.

We represent clients in the full range of claims that can be brought before an Employment Tribunal as well as claims that can be brought in the High Court and County Courts.

Our Public Access Barristers can help you with advice and representation relating to:

  • Corporate governance issues including directors’ duties, fiduciary relationships, theft, fraud, restraint of trade, breach of confidence, database rights, data protection, intellectual property, taxation, shareholder dispute, partnership disputes
  • Disputes relating to agents at common law and under the commercial agents regulations
  • Injunctive relief and damages in case involving confidential information in the employment or commercial arenas including restrictive covenants, garden leave, and spring board injunctions
  • Unfair and wrongful dismissal including interim and injunction to restrain a suspension or termination
  • Redundancy and collective consultation obligations
  • Long-term ill health, stress at work, harassment, and bullying claims
  • Conduct of, or representation in, internal proceedings
  • Whistle-blowing and Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) claims
  • Transfer of Under Taking (TUPE) issues
  • Professional Negligence claims in respect of employment law advisers
  • Equality Law including provision of goods and services, trade unions, and the operation of equality duties
  • All forms of discrimination
  • Equal Pay including pay audits and regrading exercises
  • Rights of part-time, fixed term, and agency worker
  • Maternity and paternity rights
  • All forms of contractual claims including breach of contract, unlawful deductions from wages, commission, and bonus claims
  • Claims under the Working Time Regulations including for holidays, rest breaks and health and safety related issues
  • Health and Safety at work claims
  • Trade union claims and industrial regulation law
  • Training issues and the modern apprentice scheme
  • Pension schemes

Employment FAQs

We are committed to providing high quality arguments and paperwork across the full range of employment law, including equality, discrimination and commercial matters. This can include Corporate governance issues, pension schemes, whistleblowing, harrassment, wrongful dismissal, injunctive relief, TUPE issues and much more. 

We offer a full service to individuals (whether company directors, members, shareholders, employees, consultants and partners) or corporate (company, LLP, partnership, association) and public bodies.

We represent clients in the full range of claims that can be brought before an Employment Tribunal and also claims that can be brought in the High Court and County Courts. Increasingly, employment disputes are being settled outside of the courts through arbitration or mediation. We are able to bring our experience as accredited mediators and/or arbitrators when representing you or be appointed as arbitrators or mediators to help quickly resolve the issue without the delay, publicity and stress of going to Court. 

Direct Access, also known as Public Access, allows you to directly instruct a barrister to act on your behalf, without using a solicitor or intermediary as is traditional. You are managing your case. However, not all cases are suitable for direct access and only barristers specifically trained to accept direct access instruction can assist you. Meet our trained barristers here.

We use a 4 step process outlining how you can instruct a barrister directly: Enquire, Discuss, Confirm, Instruct. Each stage is designed so we can make sure your case is suitable for direct access. It enables our clerks to find the right barrister, at the right price, for the right time just for you. Read more about the process here.

  • Represent you at court, before a tribunal, at a mediation and/or arbitration
  • Advise you on the potential outcomes of your case
  • Advise on drafting correspondence, formal Court documents and expert/witness statements
  • Advise you on involving experts
  • Advise you on the next steps in the proceedings. 

  • Liaise directly with the courts and other parties
  • Collect evidence and relevant papers
  • Handle money on your behalf

It is your responsibility to provide clear, concise instructions for your barrister to work towards your desired outcome. They cannot manage your case or your affairs nor can they handle money on your behalf.

Each case is different and some cases are not suitable for direct access instruction. For this area Clients using legal aid are not suitable for Direct Access so should instruct us using a solicitor. 

If your case is not suitable

Some cases require more day to day management so are not suitable for direct access. In this case, we will not progress beyond the Enquiry stage of our process but you can instruct us using a solicitor.

There are two types of lawyers in the UK: solicitors and barristers. They have different skills, knowledge of specialist areas and roles within the justice system. Barristers are self-employed with more specialised knowledge and advocate in courts and tribunals. Solicitors work within a firm or partnership and manage your case (including legal documentation) before, during and after court. A detailed definition is available here.

Costs vary depending on what your case needs: the work required, length of time and seniority of barrister. Fees can be a fixed amount for agreed upon work or an hourly rate with a set limit so you don’t go over an agreed upon budget. Generally speaking, the more work involved/longer the case will take/more senior (and thus experienced) the barrister, the higher the cost is likely to be.

More information can be found here.

The Direct Access Portal is the official website for this type of work and is supported by the Bar Council.

Employment team

An easy process

Upon receiving this enquiry form a Public Access Clerk will contact you to discuss your case in further detail. Please see our 4 steps outlining the process of instructing a Direct Access Barrister.

1. Submit an enquiry
Fill out our form, designed to collect as much information as possible about your case.

2. Speak to a clerk
After carefully reviewing your form, a specially trained Clerk will get in touch to confirm if your case is suitable for one of our Direct Access Barristers.

3. Receive a client care pack
Once our Direct Access Barrister has agreed in principle to represent you, you will be sent a ‘client care letter’.

4. Instructing a Barrister
If you want to go ahead after agreeing to your client care letter, it’s time to instruct your Direct Access Barrister. Download a PDF of this process here.

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