Employment Law Solicitors for Employees

Being an employee comes with the expectations of you to perform within a business’s parameters, but also, for your employers to treat you with a duty of care and fairness. Sometimes, it is unclear what exactly defines fair treatment and what your rights are.

Whether you’re experiencing unfair treatment, need help understanding and enforcing your rights, are facing a workplace dispute, or wish to take action against your employers, seeking legal advice can make all the difference.

At Biscoes, our employment law solicitors for employees can provide friendly, practical legal counsel to help you get through the experience with full support and minimal stress.

Our team will be sympathetic to the sensitivity of your situation and offer you sensible advice to help you find your feet whilst challenging the organisation responsible for your income.

Specifically, our employment law solicitors can help you with:

• Assistance in Raising Grievances
• Constructive Dismissal for Employees
• Disciplinary Assistance for Employees
• Employment Contracts
• Employment Tribunal Process
• Equal Pay for Employees
• Race Discrimination for Employees
• Restrictive Covenants and Representation
• Settlement Agreements
• Tribunal Claims
• Unfair Dismissal for Employees
• Military Law
  • Contracts of employment
  • Preparation of policy documentation
  • Advice on the negotiation of settlements
  • Tribunal and Court representation
  • Initiation and handling of claims
  • Military tribunal work

Speak to our employment law solicitors for employees today

If you would like to contact one of our employment law solicitors for employees in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, please call 02392 660261. Alternatively, please fill out this simple contact form, and we will respond promptly.

Why work with our employment law for employees’ lawyers?

Biscoes has a specialist employment law department with many years of combined experience ready to help employees through a range of workplace disputes and legal challenges. Our expertise ensures we are well placed to help individuals navigate tricky workplace situations and reach fair outcomes, even in the most complex circumstances.

We support employees across all sectors as part of big corporate companies or small family-run businesses. Our personalised legal approach protects the rights of staff in all circumstances and offers insight into the complicated arena of employment law.

Your time working with us will be as comfortable as we can make it, and our solicitors are approachable at any time whilst they focus on achieving the best outcome possible for your situation. 

Being a founding member of Forces Law, Biscoes are experts in advising and assisting in the submission of Redress of Complaint and, if necessary, can progress such matters fully into an Employment Tribunal. We are proud of our reputation for helping out our serving member clients and their family members. 

As a firm, we proudly hold the prestigious Lexcel accreditation, a testament to our excellence in legal practice management and outstanding client care.

Our employment law for employees’ law services

Assistance in raising grievances

Employers should have grievance procedures in place for employees to follow if they wish to address problems or raise concerns in the workplace.

Our employment solicitors can offer immediate guidance on whether you will be in a position to raise a grievance, how to formally draft one, and how to navigate your employer’s grievance procedures without opening yourself up to further concerns.

Constructive dismissal for employees

If you believe that your employer has breached the terms of your employment contract, you may have grounds to claim constructive dismissal.

Whether the expressed terms have been breached or a term implied by the employer and enforceable through employment law—such as the duty of trust and confidence that an employer will not conduct their business in a way likely to damage their relationship with their employee—our employment law solicitors can help clarify your situation. We’ll determine what constitutes a breach and seek to claim damages for the circumstances, taking your case to an Employment Tribunal if necessary.

Disciplinary assistance for employees

If you are subject to disciplinary proceedings with your employer, it is vital that you seek out legal advice at the earliest opportunity.

Our employment solicitors for employees can assist you with following the correct steps and the preparation of a statement, collecting evidence, and providing legal counsel and support throughout, including accompanying you to a hearing if necessary.

Employment contracts

Each business handles employment contracts differently, but under employment legislation, your employer must give you a written statement detailing the primary terms of your employment.

This is a matter of practicality and as a minimum, contracts must include details of your job description, hours of work, payment, place of work, where you may move, pension, holiday, sickness provisions, and the notice period that you or your employer must give should you cease working at the company, alongside confidentiality and grievance periods.

Biscoes’ employment team can negotiate the terms of your employment contract and ensure that you fully understand what conditions you are being presented with.

Employment Tribunal process

The Employment Tribunal process for employees can be complicated and stressful, but working with specialist employment law solicitors can ensure that you are in a strong position when bringing forward a claim.

Our experts provide friendly, practical guidance at each stage, and will always be available to explain what’s going on and what is expected of you at the submission of the claim, hearing, and settlement stages. 

Equal pay for employees

The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from unequal pay based on gender. Pay itself should include basic pay, but also elements such as overtime rates, bonuses, redundancy and severance pay, and company benefits, such as sick pay, medical insurance, or company cars. 

We can work alongside you and, where appropriate, help you to establish that you have not received equal pay. An equal pay claim can be of potentially significant value, so it is vital that you instruct specialist legal advice if you have not received the level of pay you believe you are entitled to.

Race discrimination for employees

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate, harass, or victimise their employees or job applicants based on race.

The severity of the discrimination and level of detriment put upon the claimant directly impacts the potential compensation stood to be gained. Our employment solicitors can support you in making a race discrimination claim and ensure that you receive the full extent of due compensation, handling your case with the utmost sensitivity.

Restrictive covenants and representation

If you have been accused of breaching a restrictive covenant term, you should seek urgent legal advice.

If you do not act fast, your current or former employer could take various actions including injunctions or claims for damages or breach of contract. We can review your circumstances in detail and defend your position accordingly, minimising the potential impact you could face.

Settlement agreements

A settlement agreement (used to be known as a “compromise agreement”) are designed to bring an end to an employment relationship in a mutually agreed way. Typically, this will involve you, as the employee, receiving a sum of money in exchange for ending your employment and being unable to make any legal claims against your former employer.

If you have been offered a settlement agreement, our employment law solicitors can read it through with you to review the terms and advise on whether signing it would set you at a disadvantage. Furthermore, we will ensure that it is fully compliant with the requirements set out under Section 203(3)(c) of the Employment Rights Act 1995.

Tribunal Claims

Our employment law solicitors for employees are all highly skilled in bringing claims to the Employment Tribunal. Our dedicated team regularly handle age-based discrimination cases, direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. We can prepare your claim, gather evidence, be readily available to answer all of your questions and defend your tribunal claim.

Unfair dismissal for employees

It is possible for an employer to dismiss ‘fairly’ for five reasons: conduct, capability (which can include poor performance and ill health), redundancy, breach of a statutory requirement and “some other substantial reason”. If you have been dismissed without good reason, you may have a claim for unfair dismissal.

Our employment solicitors for employees can assess your claim in detail and help reinforce your case by collecting evidence and details about the reason for your dismissal and how your employer acted unreasonably. Employees have a time limit of only three months minus one day from the last day of their notice period in which to make their unfair dismissal claim, so we advise that you reach out promptly.   

Military law

Contracts of employment

We have specialist expertise in negotiating on the nuances of military employment paperwork. Military contracts differ from regular employment contracts in various ways, and our experts know exactly how to ensure that you are entering into a good-faith employment and can negotiate the finer details on your behalf.

Preparation of policy documentation

Our solicitors can ensure that the military policy documents you have been provided with are fully legally compliant regarding understanding relevant elements such as defence regulations or international trade laws and ensuring reasonable health, safety, and environmental standards.

We can also provide clarity on contracts that define your role and responsibilities, ensure contract compliance, draft and review documentation, tailor it to your needs where necessary, and find ways to establish protective measures to avoid disputes in the future.

Advice on the negotiation of settlements

We are trained in the specialised area of negotiating military settlements and frequently represent former or current members of the forces with their settlement needs.

Tribunal and court representation

The Employment Tribunal process for employees is further complicated by military laws as these trials are usually conducted with smaller boards with 3-6 lay members, and that set up can be affected by the severity of the case. It is considerably more difficult to predict and anticipate how a military court and tribunal affair will pan out.

Therefore, having an expert legal representative on your side can hugely impact your confidence and preparedness when going into the trial. We can ensure that you are fully prepared for any outcome and fully understand what will be expected of you at each stage of the process.

Initiation and handling of claims

There are unique types of claims that can be brought forth by military members and the process can take around twelve months, but complexities and severity of the claim can substantially extend this timeframe. Our employment solicitors for employees are experts at putting together robust claims and pursuing them to the fullest extent on behalf of our clients.

Military tribunal work

Military tribunal work can include a wide range of specialist activities, and you may be called to provide evidence, defence, representation, witness testimonies, or information before a military tribunal.

Our team stands out for its expertise and knowledgeability in providing legal advice and guidance into understanding military law, advising on charges, and preparing robust case strategies. We can advocate on your behalf and review any appeals, challenging them where necessary and efficiently processing all administrative matters.

Frequently asked questions about our employment law for employees services

What is unfair dismissal?

Unfair dismissal occurs when your employer terminates your contract for illegal reasons or reasons that violate the employment contract. Some examples might include:

• Firing an employee who is on maternity leave, family leave or pregnant
• Firing an employee for their involvement in trade unions
• Firing an employee because they made a flexible work request

If you are considering making a claim for unfair dismissal, then you are under a time limit of three months from the day when you were dismissed. Our employment lawyers can advise you on the best steps to take if you were recently dismissed and have concerns about the conditions of you losing your role.

What information must be included in an employment contract?

There are certain pieces of information that an employment contract must include, such as:

• The name and address of the employer and employee
• The full job title
• The rate of pay and method of payment
• The start date of the position
• The hours of work
• Sickness and absence pay protocols
• Holiday entitlement
• Notice period expectations
• Training details
• Benefits
• Probation periods
• Whether there are exclusivity clauses
• Arrangements for working outside of the UK if necessary

Does my employer need to provide me with an employment contract?

In the UK, employers are under no legal obligation to provide employees with a written employment contract. However, they legally must provide a written statement of your employment terms within two months of your start date for the new job.

What are the key protections for employees under the Equality Act 2010?

The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to treat employees unfairly or less favourably to one another based on one or more of nine protected characteristics, which are:

• Age
• Disability
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Gender reassignment
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Religion or belief
• Race

Speak to our employment law solicitors for employees today

If you would like to contact one of our employment law solicitors for employees in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, please call 02392 660261. Alternatively, please fill out this simple contact form, and we will respond promptly.