How do I contact someone?
If you would like to speak to one of our Advisers please telephone any of our offices on:
Hykeham: 01522 814760
Boston: 01205 311511
Sleaford: 01529 301300
Lincoln: 01522 814700
Grantham: 01476 590200
and ask for the Employment Team
Alternatively, please email an enquiry using any of the links on this web-site.
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Will I be able to meet with an Adviser?
We understand how important it is for you to meet your adviser and discuss your concerns face to face. Losing your job or having problems at work can have a devastating effect on you and your family. A telephone call simply isn,t enough. With a face to face meeting you can properly discuss our advice and ask questions about what to do next.
We also understand how important it is that you have clear information about the cost of your legal advice. We therefore provide a Fixed Fee Interview scheme for your first appointment with us. As the name suggests, the cost of the appointment is fixed no matter how long it takes. This means you can meet with us safe in the knowledge that your legal costs won,t be increasing by the minute!
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What happens at a Fixed Fee Interview?
At your Fixed Fee Interview your Adviser will discuss your situation with you and take full details of your concerns. He or she will then advise you about the next steps you should take. If appropriate they will explain the potential claims you have and also their assessment of the value of those claims. They will then advise you of any time limits you need to be aware of.
Finally, if you are considering pursuing an Employment Tribunal claim your adviser will discuss with you various funding options to decide the best way to progress your matter. Following the meeting you will receive written confirmation of their advice for you to consider at your leisure. This means you can make an informed decision about any action you wish to take.
As the name suggests, the cost of your appointment is fixed no matter how long it takes
For further information please contact one of our Advisers.
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How much is a Fixed Fee Interview?
The cost of your Fixed Fee Interview will depend on which of our advisers you would like to meet with. If your claim is in relation to wages, redundancy or unfair dismissal; and, you would like to meet with one of our Employment Paralegals, Lucy Green or Rachel Bond, the cost of a Fixed Fee Interview will be £100.00 plus VAT (total of £117.50). For more information about Lucy or Rachel, please visit their profiles on this web-site.
If your claim involves discrimination, TUPE or is a complex unfair dismissal matter and you would like to meet with an Employment Solicitor a Fixed Fee Interview with Jayne Flint or Sophie Goodwill is £150 plus VAT (£176.25) . If you would like to meet with Sally Hubbard, our Head of Department, a Fixed Fee Interview is £200 plus VAT (£235.00). For more information about Jayne, Sophie or Sally, please visit their profiles on this website.
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My colleague and I are in the same position, can we both come to a fixed fee interview?
We often find that two or more people with the same employer have similar concerns about the way they are treated. Your Fixed Fee Interview is, of course, the advice that we give to you but if you wanted a colleague to attend and observe we would have no objection. It is entirely your choice.
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How much does it cost to pursue a claim to the Employment Tribunal?
From our experience we know that clients are very concerned about escalating legal costs. Some of our clients have been told horror stories by their employers about the cost of employment litigation. Others have been unintentionally misled by concerned friends or family. Once a member of the Employment Team has fully assessed the strength and value of your claim during a Fixed Fee Interview, we will then discuss with you different ways we could continue to provide assistance. From our experience, many clients are surprised about the variety of ways they can fund representation at the Employment Tribunal. The most popular methods are: -
Legal Expenses Insurance
Often, without even knowing it, our clients have the benefit of Legal Expenses Insurance which will pay for our assistance. This is generally contained within Home, Car or Credit Card Insurance Policies. Our Employment Advisers are happy to look over your Insurance documents at your Fixed Fee Interview and will, if you decide to pursue a claim, contact your Insurers to make the necessary arrangements. We can then go on to provide full representation funded by your Insurance Policy.
No Win No Fee
In certain circumstances, we can offer you a "No Win, No Fee" arrangement to pursue your claim at the Employment Tribunal. As the name suggests, if you are not successful in recovering compensation you will not be charged for our assistance
If we are able to successfully recover any compensation or a settlement payment for you, we retain a percentage of that payment. In this way you can instruct us without having to obtain funding personally. We can sometimes assess whether or not this method of funding can be offered to you during your Fixed Fee Interview. At that stage, we will agree with you the percentage of compensation we would need to retain to fund your legal representation in this way.
Pay as you go - Hourly Rate
Using this type of funding, you can agree our costs for fully representing you up to a maximum amount. We would then charge an hourly rate for our work. You would make monthly payments, in advance, in respect of the work we undertake and would only be charged for that work. If your matter is resolved quickly, you benefit as we would be unlikely to reach the maximum amount. If you matter takes longer, you have the re-assurance of knowing the maximum amount you will be charged.
Pay as you go - Fixed Fee Work
Some clients decide they want to represent themselves at the Employment Tribunal. If you wished to do this, we can provide quotes for specific pieces of work such as drafting a claim form, preparing a bundle of documents and drafting a witness statement. We can also agree with you a fixed fee for representation at the Employment Tribunal hearing
This type of funding is also useful if you do not wish to pursue an Employment Tribunal claim, but do require some specific assistance with correspondence or perhaps negotiating a compromise agreement with your employer. In those circumstances, we can agree with you a fixed fee for undertaking that particular piece of work. We would discuss what is required at your Fixed Fee Interview and provide you with a quote for the fixed fee work. You can then decide whether to instruct us without being worried that your legal costs will escalate.
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If I did decide to bring a claim at the Employment Tribunal, how much would it be worth?
The value of Employment Tribunal claims will vary. At your Fixed Fee Interview we will undertake an assessment of what we believe the value of your claim to be. However, as your Employment Tribunal progresses, if your circumstances change, we will revise that estimate to keep you up to date.
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I have been asked by my employer to attend a disciplinary meeting, can you help me?
We are often asked to assist clients at the very early stages of disciplinary matters. We are happy to arrange a Fixed Fee Interview to go through the allegations against you, make suggestions for any response you should make and advise you tactically on the best way to challenge the allegations. We find clients who ask for our assistance at an early stage in disciplinary matters really benefit from our advice.
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I've been told to "raise a formal grievance", can you help me?
There are often matters which can and should be raised with your employer prior to pursuing any claim before an Employment Tribunal. Sometimes, once the situation is clearly set out to an employer, they will put right the subject of complaint. When you attend your Fixed Fee Interview with us, we will discuss with you the nature of your complaints and how best to pursue them with your employer. We are happy to draft your formal grievance for you and, also, add our expertise and specialist assistance by explaining the nature of any potential claim should the employer refuse to put right your complaints.
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What is a Compromise Agreement?
A Compromise Agreement is a contract where an employee agrees not to issue or pursue a claim against their employer for a breach of their statutory employment rights. The employee will usually want to reach such an agreement as he or she will receive a compensatory payment for waiving their rights. The most common rights in a Compromise Agreement are unfair dismissal, discrimination or redundancy. An ordinary contract or agreement would not be binding on an employee in respect of those rights. A Compromise Agreement has very specific rules, including that an employee should receive independent advice, before it will be binding.
If you have been given a Compromise Agreement by your employer, please contact us at any one of our offices. We will arrange an appointment to meet with you, go through the agreement and advise you whether we believe you are receiving appropriate compensation to waive your rights. We make sure that you fully understand the consequences of signing the Compromise Agreement and that you are able to make an informed decision. We then provide you with a full note of our advice in writing.
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Can I see an Adviser at the weekend?
We are able to offer a limited number of appointments on a Saturday at our Silver Street Office in Lincoln. If you would like a weekend appointment, please contact any of our advisers.
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