Employment (Employee)
Employment is without a doubt one of the most important considerations affecting individuals in their day-to-day lives. Your job can define you. It provides you with your standard of living, your network of friends, your aspirations for the future and your sense of self-worth. It is therefore unsurprising that when something threatens the stability of your employment, the result can be an extremely distressing and often uncertain time.
The team at Leathes Prior recognises the significance of the employment relationship and the difficulties an employee faces when this relationship alters or sours. We can act swiftly and decisively to assist an individual in the search for a solution and pride ourselves on providing practical, workable advice.
Our ethos is to restore harmonious working relationships, wherever possible. However, we recognise that this may not always be an achievable aim and our clients may rest assured that they will be supported and guided expertly through the options available to them, if litigation becomes necessary.
- We are able to advise on all aspects of employment law, from recruitment through to the termination of your employment contract. For senior employees and executives, we appreciate the key strategic importance of the service agreement and will work with our clients to negotiate and secure the best possible package.
- Discrimination on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age and gender reassignment is prohibited. We recognize that discrimination can, by its very nature, be difficult to indentify, often leaving the individual confused and uncertain as to the situation they are facing. We can help to uncover and determine whether an individual has been, or is being, subjected to discriminatory treatment and advise accordingly. The solution does not always lie in costly litigation.
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures and dismissal, on whatever grounds, all bring with them their own set of complications and obstacles; like people, two situations are rarely alike. However, expensive and protracted litigation can often be avoided by early intervention and at Leathes Prior we are conscious that supporting our clients means protecting their interests without exacerbating existing tensions.
- If an organisation decides to contract out some of its services, or indeed to merge with another company, the ramifications for the workforce can be huge. Small or large-scale redundancies often result, attempts may be made to alter employees’ existing terms and conditions and consultation procedures abound. We are experienced in advising as to the effect of TUPE on employees’ rights and routinely handle claims resulting from breaches of the relevant legislation, both on an individual level and as part of class actions.
- The use of Compromise Agreements as a means of resolving a dispute or bringing the employment relationship to an end is becoming increasingly common currency. However, these Agreements nevertheless form an extremely important and sometimes complex part of an individual’s exit negotiations and it is therefore crucial that they are handled with the appropriate levels of care and diligence to ensure the optimum and most tax-efficient deal. At Leathes Prior we advise a wide range of individuals on their Compromise Agreements, including senior executives and directors. In so doing, we are always mindful of the need to preserve and, wherever possible, to strengthen commercial and professional relationships.
- In the event that harmony cannot be restored and litigation becomes necessary, we are skilled and successful litigators with an enviable track record in the Employment Tribunal. We have a particular expertise in complex, multi-day discrimination claims and have won substantial damages for our clients over the years. Two notable cases involving age and disability discrimination respectively saw us achieving six figure sums by way of compensation.
Whilst confidentiality naturally prevents us from disclosing our most significant achievements, this is what others say about us:-
“Can I take this opportunity of sincerely thanking you for all your patience, advice, support and enthusiasm – at times when the going looked difficult you in your pragmatic style kept our feet on the ground, and reassured us that we were strong and in the right. We will always be extremely grateful.” (of Paula Lawn)
Leathes Prior has “captured the claimant market, acting for high-profile executives”.
[Chambers UK 2009]
There are various funding options available and, if you wish to contact us, we would be very happy to discuss these with you. We are sometimes prepared to take on cases on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis and, whilst we do not automatically provide a free consultation, we are always happy to explore matters with you briefly before committing to a particular funding method.
If you have any enquiries, please contact Paula Lawn – or, alternatively, please call us on 01603 610911.
