Employment Law
Hi I'm Alison Leith I'm a partner and I run the employment department for Tilly Bailey & Irvine. One thing's for sure, despite politicians claims to the contrary employment legislation is not getting any simpler and there's little prospect of it changing. Fortunately for you we have the experts in house who understand the technical and practical ramifications of employment related disputes. Our aim is to protect you, our clients and keep you fully compliant.
Alison Leith
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Ask Alison Leith
Employment Law and HR issues can be a very big headache for a business owner. Just when you think you understand the rules they change and even the longer established legislation can be a minefield to navigate.
You may have purchased relatively “cheap” insurance that appears to offer peace of mind to cover the “what if” moment and potentially expensive employee claim. The trouble is these insurance offerings are not as robust as you first think and can leave you very vulnerable relying upon poorly qualified call centre based advice.
Tilly Bailey & Irvine’s dedicated Employment Team can help you to better understand this area of your business and reduce the risk of future claims.
We can advise on a full range of employment law and human resources issues, from managing minor irritations to helping with strategic business decisions.
Within this section of the website we’ve created a series of additional pages offering summaries of key elements of employment law. Within some sections there is a ‘question and answer link’ providing you with illustrative scenarios of the relevant law in action. We hope you find these scenarios helpful but if you need any further advice please contact a member of our Employment Team.
Read our latest Employment newsletter here: Tilly Bailey Irvine – Employment Newsletter May 2013
Recent client stories
Successful defence against disability discrimination claim
We recently defended a disability discrimination claim which made the local press. This was brought against a public sector client and we were able to secure a favourable outcome, defeating the disability element of the claim and settling in respect of the unfair dismissal claim for less than £2,000 where the Claimant was looking for well in excess of £35,000 for the dismissal element. The client felt that the removal of this person from their organisation and defending the claim was money well spent.
Employer saved £90,000 in damages
We recently acted on behalf of two nationwide respondents: a cable installation and construction management company who had a tricky Employment Tribunal claim where the Claimant was in a strong position, seeking over £90,000 in damages. Through extensive negotiation and using our knowledge of case law, tribunals and regulation, we were able to persuade the Claimant to settle the case for a small fraction of what was claimed well within the approved client budget ‘to get rid of it’. Taking this hard line approach meant our client was both delighted and relieved by the result.
Defence of high-value whistle blowing and unfair dismissal claim
We recently acted on behalf of a large local construction company in defending a high value whistle blowing and unfair dismissal claim from a former employee. In negotiations and discussions with the Claimant’s representative, a large national law firm, we were able to persuade the Claimant to withdraw his claim before a Tribunal hearing, avoiding all of the associated and unwanted expense and press attention. The client was thankful for the help offered by Tilly Bailey & Irvine in bringing this matter to a close.