Employment law for businesses

How David Parry Employment Law supports businesses large and small

David Parry Employment Law is pleased to offer employment law advice and support to businesses of all sizes and from all sectors. David’s range of services includes:

• Drafting employment contracts, service agreements and staff handbooks
• Managing disciplinaries and grievances
• Managing absenteeism
• Performance management
• Termination and settlement agreements
• Redundancies and reorganisations
• Corporate support, including TUPE
• Unfair dismissal
• Discrimination and harassment
• Equal pay

Workplace mediation

Although David cannot provide workplace mediation services to his own clients, he is a qualified workplace mediator, and can assist businesses with resolving staff disputes without costly and protracted internal procedures or litigation. Workplace mediation is a win-win solution for everyone involved.

Costs

David offers a free helpline and is available to take your calls whenever he can. Even if you feel you are able to deal with an issue yourself it is far better to be safe than sorry so why not give David a call? With David’s knowledge and experience you can avoid any pitfalls and associated stress. You will not be charged for the initial advice David gives, regardless of the number of times you may have called about other issues. If the matter cannot be dealt with in the initial call, David will discuss his charges with you. To speak to David call 01993 848247 or email david@parryemploymentlaw.com

When any advice becomes chargeable, David provides a variety of options, allowing you easily to control and budget for legal costs. You can choose from a number of ways to pay including:

• Employment law retainer scheme -For a fixed monthly price, David can deal with an unlimited number of issues by telephone or e-mail, as long as the matter takes no more than one hour to deal with. If the matter cannot be dealt with in this timescale, David will discuss his charges with you.
• Employment protection scheme – Under this scheme, David can deal with an unlimited number of issues by telephone, e-mail or in person for a fixed monthly price. Part of the price includes an insurance policy that will cover your business for the cost of defending any employment tribunal claims and any awards that may be made (subject to the conditions of the policy).

• Pay as you go – David recognises that some businesses are reluctant to consult employment lawyers due to concerns around escalating legal costs. David is open and transparent about his charges and will work with you to apply a charging structure that suits your business. Estimates will begiven in all cases and there will be no surprises. In some cases, a fixed or capped charge might be appropriate. All matters are invoiced monthly so you can keep an eye on any costs that have been incurred.

Employment tribunals – David has substantial experience in defending claims at the employment tribunal. Please see the “About” page for the details of David’s experience and qualifications. His pricing for defending claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal, culminating in a one-day tribunal hearing, is in the region of £9,000 to £12,00 (£7,500 and £10,000 plus VAT).

Factors that could make the case more complex include:

• If it is necessary to defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about your defence to the claim.
• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
• Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim (e.g. whistleblowing).
• If there are allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.
• The number of witnesses and documents.
• Making or defending a costs application.

There would be an additional charge for attending a preliminary hearing or a full hearing of more than one day. Additional day’s charge is between £1,800 and £2,400 (£1,500 and £2,000 plus VAT).

Generally, David conducts advocacy at any tribunal hearing himself. However, if a barrister is instructed, the barrister’s fees are likely to be between £1,200 and £3,000 (£1,000 and £2,500 plus VAT) per day, depending on the experience of the barrister.

Any travel expenses to tribunal hearings would also be chargeable.

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change).
• Entering into ACAS Early Conciliation to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
• Preparing response to be filed at the tribunal.
• Considering the claimant’s schedule of loss.
• Exchanging documents with the other side and preparing a bundle of documents.
• Drafting witness statements.
• Reviewing and advising on the other side’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues, chronology and/or cast list.
• Preparing and attending at final hearing, including instructions to any barrister.
• Exploring and negotiating settlement throughout the process.

The stages set out above are an indication and, if some of the stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only take David’s advice in relation to some of the stages – this can also be arranged on your individual needs.

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the conclusion of the matter depends largely on the stage at which the case is resolved. If settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, the case like to stage between two and four weeks. If the claim proceeds to a final hearing, the timescale is between 9 and 18 months – it will finish sooner if it settles before a final hearing but will take longer if a preliminary hearing is required or if the final hearing is to last for more than one day. This is just an estimate and David will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once he has more information and as the matter progresses.

To speak to David call 01993 848247 or email david@parryemploymentlaw.com