Employment

We have a number of specialist Employment Lawyers within our Employment Team that will be able to assist and advise on the process that you should follow if, as an employer, you find yourself needing to discipline one of your employees.

Disciplinaries are formal procedures which are instigated by employers due to the alleged misconduct of an employee. It is important for an employer to follow a thorough and fair disciplinary process to reduce the risks of any potential claims against it.

Our team of specialist Employment Lawyers can advise on how to follow the correct disciplinary procedure, support senior management or HR in meetings. We can also assist with drafting the required documentation to reduce the risk of a claim for unfair dismissal, and to help alleviate the stress that may be caused by the situation.

In the UK, individuals are protected against a variety of different types of discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The different types of discrimination are:

• Direct Discrimination
• Indirect Discrimination
• Harassment
• victimisation
• Discrimination Arising from Disability
• Associative Discrimination
• Perceptive Discrimination

The protected characteristics:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender Reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race
• Religion or Belief
• Sex
• Sexual Orientation

All job applicants, employees, workers and contractors are protected against discrimination at work. If you feel you are being treated poorly at work our team of specialist employment lawyers can guide you through this complex area and advise you on your rights and options.

Most employment relationships will be underpinned with an employment contract. An employment contract will ordinarily set out the key terms of your employment and any restrictions following the termination of your employment. If you have been provided with a new employment contract or looking to leave your current employment and want advice on the terms of your contract our team of specialised employment lawyers can provide pragmatic and practical advice and identify any clauses of which you should be specifically aware.

Working with Employers
A starting point for all employers is to ensure that they have up to date contracts for their workforce as well as having all the necessary policies and procedures in place.

We can ensure all of your contracts and policies reflect the latest developments in statute and case law. In particular, we can ensure that all documentation provides your business with adequate protection, particularly when an employee leaves your employment.

The right to make a data subject access request (DSAR) is a key element of the protections contained in the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR).

Although a right of an individual to access data held about them has long been a part of data protection legislation, the development of digital technology has led to a massive expansion in the amount and nature of the data being processed, particularly in the employment context.

We have seen a particular increase in the number of DSARs being brought by employees. These requests are frequently made in the context of an ongoing or potential dispute or tribunal or court claim.

It is also important that employers have key documentation in place before getting to the stage of receiving and handling a data subject access request, as this sets the foundation for the legal basis on which they are processing employee data and the steps to take when an employee seeks to enforce their data rights.

Whether it is advice on raising a grievance, being involved in a disciplinary or capability process, long term sickness absence, performance improvement plan, adjustment to the workplace or working practices, warnings or even the termination of your employment, we can advise and support you throughout.

Our team of employment lawyers have significant experience in advising on workplace disputes and can provide you with practical and pragmatic advice to help and support you with resolving any dispute that you have with your employer.

Employment status plays a crucial role in defining an individual’s rights and entitlements in the workplace. Determining employment status can, however, be challenging. If you are seeking clarity or assistance in relation to your employment status, our experienced team can assist you. With our expertise in employment law, we are well-equipped to assist in identifying your employment and resolving disputes that may arise in this area.

In the UK, there are three main types of employment status:

• Employee
• Worker
• Self-Employed

Determining someone’s status relies on several key legal tests.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, marking a major overhaul of UK employment law.

The Act introduces extensive reforms to be implemented over the coming years, representing the most substantial shift in employment rights in a generation. These changes affect everything from unfair dismissal rights and family‑related leave to enforcement, equality measures, and the use of non‑disclosure agreements.

If you feel that your employer has acted unlawfully and infringed your rights you could have potential claims at an employment tribunal. Our team of specialised employment lawyers are greatly experienced in acting for individuals in the employment tribunal and can assist you with your potential claims.

Our lawyers can provide you with expert assistance on your claim, discuss the merits of any such claim and the best way to pursue your matter so that you can achieve a preferable outcome.

Providing training and development opportunities to your employees are fundamental to the growth of your employees and will enable the Company to build a happy and positive workforce. Our team of specialist employment lawyers can provide bespoke training for you.

Our employment solicitors have extensive experience in providing training to senior leaders, managers and employees in all types of businesses including leisure and hospitality, construction and financial services.

The types of training we can provide includes:

• harassment including sexual harassment
• equal opportunities and discrimination
• performance and capability
• long term sickness absence
• disciplinaries and redundancy procedure
• Immigration

What is the fee for providing Training?
Our training is bespoke and will be adapted to the needs of the Company. The fee for providing the training will depend on the length of the training, number of people attending and whether it will be online or in person.

What is included in your training session?
We know that it can be difficult for employees to be able to concentrate on the subject when they are being lectured at. Therefore, we aim to make our training as interactive as possible and provide case studies to enable employees to become involved and put what they have learnt into practice.

A redundancy situation occurs when the Company identifies the need to reduce the number of employees that it employs. The need to make redundancy will be caused by one of the following situations.

• Closure of the Business
• Closure of one of the Business sites
• Diminished requirements of the kind of work that the employee undertakes

Our team of specialist employment solicitors will be able to assist you with identifying the need to make redundancies and provide advice and assistance as to how to follow the correct redundancy process.

Restrictive Covenants or Post Termination Restrictions are a valuable tool in protecting a business from a departing employee by ensuring that confidential information, commercial connections and remaining workforce are secure.

We have developed a business protection questionnaire designed to provide you with an overview of your business’s employment protections based upon some key questions.

Please click below to complete the questionnaire and get an initial report on your business’s protection.

Get your free report here.

Whilst post-termination restrictions/restrictive covenants can be an effective way of securing your business, it can be a complex area with the risk that such restrictions are not enforceable, leaving an employer without the protection against former employees that it needs.

Our employment team can provide you with expert advice to establish an effective post-termination strategy including:

• reviewing your current level of protection.
• drafting post-termination restrictions in contracts of employment
• reminding employees of their continuing obligations on exit; and taking swift legal action when restrictions are breached.
• For new hires, we can review the contracts of employment with their previous employer to advise on the extent of their restrictions and how this could impact their role with the new employer.
• Enforcement of post termination restrictions including, where necessary and appropriate, seeking injunctive relief.

A settlement agreement is a document provided to an employee by their employer with the intention of terminating employment and settling potential claims the employee has against their employer. The agreement generally includes a Termination Payment to the employee as compensation for the employee’s agreement not to pursue any employment claims against the employer. Our team of specialised employment solicitors are able to provide you with advice on the terms and effect of the settlement agreement as well as the offer which has been made to you.

For individuals
We can also look to assist you with requesting a settlement agreement from your employer if you have a dispute or potential claim and they have not already offered you one.

For a business
Our lawyers in the Employment team have extensive expertise and experience which allows us to provide our clients with the most up to date advice and practical solutions whilst negotiating commercially considered and pragmatic settlements.

Our range of services includes:

• Drafting and advising on the terms of settlement agreements
• Advising on tailored commercial settlement terms and figures
• Drafting and negotiating bespoke amendments tailored to specific client needs and requests
• Identifying and valuing potential claims arising out of the circumstances leading up to the termination of employment and assisting to reduce exposure.

The Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations, widely known as “TUPE” has various legal implication on businesses during a business sale or acquisition process and can impose several legal obligations on them. Our Employment team is experienced in providing advice on the applicability of TUPE, including its impact on employment relationships, effects of a transfer of employment and employee consultation obligations.

We are regularly engaged by clients on acquisitions, insolvency situations and changes in service provider. As well as advising on TUPE, we are experienced in assisting with the due diligence process and providing advice on the protections to build into any acquisition documents with regards to employees.

Any employee could make a protected disclosure (also known as whistleblowing). A protected disclosure is a disclosure of information which shows or tends to show one or more of the following has happened or is likely to happen:

• That a criminal offence has been committed
• That there has been a breach of legal obligations
• That a miscarriage of justice has occurred
• That the health and safety of an individual has been endangered
• That the environment has been damaged
• That any of the above events have been deliberately concealed
• The disclosure of information must also be in the public interest

It is important to ensure that any protected disclosure is taken seriously and addressed in the correct manner. The law surrounding protected disclosures is complex and our team of employment lawyers can help you understand and navigate the process correctly.

Our Workplace Mediation Service provides a confidential and impartial process to resolve conflicts between employees, teams, or management. Led by trained employment solicitors, we help parties reach mutually acceptable solutions, avoiding the cost and disruption of formal proceedings. Whether addressing interpersonal tensions, grievances, or breakdowns in communication, our service supports a healthier working environment and promotes long-term collaboration.