Employment Disputes

Employment law and litigation has become increasingly challenging without a lawyer.  There are numerous technical rules, some summarised on the ACAS site.  Education employers are well resourced and will often fight cases to full hearings.  If you are a union member they should be your first option, but we can give second opinions and realistic advice on resolving disputes and whether to take a claim through Tribunal.

Grievances, Bullying and Contractual disputes
In pressured workplaces employers can behave harshly or thoughtlessly, but harassment and humiliation is always wrong.  Our first step is to try to save the employment relationship through negotiation or mediation on your behalf.

Settlement Agreements
If it is best to move on we can negotiate a legally binding agreement in which your employer will usually pay you compensation and agree references in return for a waiver of claims.  As the law requires that you have independent legal advice, the employer will pay a contribution towards our costs.

Suspension from Duty
Timely advice on how to respond to investigatory interviews or internal disciplinary hearings is vital.  We can support you through these stages.

Unfair and Constructive Dismissals
The legal rules on unfairness are technical and time limits for claims are very short.  We will advise quickly if you can and should bring a claim and take you through the mandatory ACAS process.

Illness and Disability Discrimination
The demands on professionals such as teachers keep increasing and stress is common.  If you have long-standing mental or physical health issues your employer should make all reasonable adjustments before considering capability

Sex and Sexuality Discrimination
Sadly this remains a controversial area in education.  We have represented LGBTQI+ teachers who have faced covert discrimination due to their sexuality

Race and Religious discrimination
Again, we know some teachers still face this issue.  We understand these issues well; we were the leading lawyers defending Birmingham teachers caught up in the “Trojan Horse” inquiry.

Trade union and Whistleblowing Discrimination
We are proud to represent professionals who have high standards and who will challenge when their employers do not.  This discrimination is always unacceptable

We have a solid track record of settling and winning the claims we select to run in the Employment Tribunal.