Employment Solicitors in Barnet
Our firm has a strong employment law department. This includes our in-house employment consultant barrister, Kevin Harris – called to the bar in 1999. We also have a very experienced HR consultant Stephen Jarrett, who can advise employers about employment processes and procedures at a reasonable cost.
Our offices are reasonably close to Barnet. Our Finchley office is located a few hundred yards from the North Circular Road, near Henlys Corner. Parking near our Finchley office is relatively easy. There is a pay and display bay immediately outside our office, and Cyprus Road opposite only has parking restrictions between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Arden Road, further south, has no parking restrictions at all.
We can also see clients in our Hatfield office. Our Hatfield office is located immediately opposite the railway station, and there is a multi-storey car park adjoining the station.
If you are affected by any of the below situations, please contact us for assistance: –
- If you have been selected to be at risk for redundancy and you wish to receive legal advice and support with the redundancy process and selection procedure, or if you require information concerning any proposed redundancy termination package/settlement agreement.
- If you are subject to performance management.
- If you are suffering from stress at work.
- If you are suffering from excessive working hours.
- If you are subject to long term sickness absence and wish to take legal advice and wish to be protected against being dismissed upon grounds of incapacity.
- If you are subject to bullying or harassment in the workplace, especially by your line manager.
- If you are suffering from discrimination, including in relation to your age, religion, sex or if you possess a qualifying disability.
- If you are dismissed or threatened with dismissal because of pregnancy/ maternity leave of if you suffer some other detriment because of the same.
- If you are threatened with or subject to disciplinary proceedings and you would wish to be supported, including concerning making representations to your employer and if you want a trade union representative to accompany you to any disciplinary hearing.
- If you wish to raise a grievance against your employer and you want to be supported in making representations and again, being accompanied to the grievance hearing by a trade union representative.
Employment Law Claims
We can also assist with employment law claims. We represent both employers and employees. Concerning employees, if the claim is reasonably strong, then we will consider a No Win, No Fee arrangement.
Alternatively, if you have the benefit of legal expense insurance, we would be pleased to assist in making a claim under the policy. Sometimes it can be challenging to secure cover. We have been helping applicants for legal expense insurance cover for many years, and in our view, such applications are best if professionally prepared.
We usually support the application with an opinion from counsel. Insurers will pass the matter to their panel solicitors and if necessary independent counsel to review the merits before granting cover. If necessary, we will raise formal complaints on behalf of our clients if cover is either not granted or is granted after excessive delay. We will request under such complaints for cover to be granted and/or to be backdated to when the application is first submitted.
In relation to fees, we do not have any difficulty in negotiating fee rates with insurers. If necessary, we will raise formal complaints to secure reasonable fee levels.
Settlement Agreements
We sign off several of these every week. We are very experienced at advising clients with these agreements and provide – if so required, a full service.
This includes the following: –
- Detailed advice as to legal rights and options.
- We will run through the agreement in-depth with the client, explaining the provisions of the agreement.
- We will, if the client so wishes, amend the agreement to make it commercially acceptable to sign. In particular, for instance, the agreements normally provide that any breach, however minor, means that you will receive zero. We amend this provision to provide that only serious breach will result in a forfeiture of the terminal payment.
- We will negotiate the termination package if so required.
- We will press employers to waive restrictive covenants in relevant circumstances.
It is common practice for an agreement to contain a provision for legal fees. If you wish to sign agreement off without making any changes at all, then such provision will generally be sufficient. However, if you want the agreement to be amended by us, then you are looking at minimum legal costs of £500 plus VAT. The amount of the legal costs is negotiable, and we frequently increase such contribution by negotiation with the employer.
Urgent Situation
If your matter is urgent, we will endeavour to see you on the same day. This includes if you have a disciplinary meeting convened for a few days away or if you are an employer you have received employment tribunal proceedings in the post.
Where relevant, we can also organise a telephone conference with counsel at short notice.
Contact
Our firm is very approachable. We do not charge for initial telephone calls. We can arrange initial meetings if so required at a fixed fee.
Please contact our Finchley office on telephone 020 8446 6223 or email enquiries@sr-law.co.uk.