Employment law solicitors for employers

We act for employers across England and Wales: owner-managed businesses, charities and care providers as well as larger companies. Most of what we do is getting a decision right before it is made, because a dismissal or redundancy that follows a fair process is far cheaper than a tribunal claim. Advice is by phone, video or at our Manchester office.

Key points

Tribunal time limits doubled to six months on 1 October 2026, so a dismissal can be challenged for longer.
From 1 January 2027 most employees can claim unfair dismissal after six months' service, and the cap on compensation is removed.
The maximum protective award for failing to consult on collective redundancies has been 180 days' pay per employee since 6 April 2026.
We quote before we start, and fix the fee where the work allows it.

What we do for employers

Contracts of employment, written statements, handbooks and policies, brought up to date for the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Disciplinary, grievance, capability and sickness processes, run so that a dismissal will stand up.
Redundancy and restructuring: the business case, pools, selection criteria, consultation and alternative roles.
Settlement agreements and protected conversations.
Defending employment tribunal claims, from the first Acas call to the hearing.
Preventing sexual harassment, including by customers and clients, and dealing with complaints when they arise.
Sponsored workers: right to work checks, reporting duties and what a dismissal means for the worker and your sponsor licence.

The changes to prepare for

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is coming into force in stages. Three changes matter most to an employer deciding whether and how to dismiss.

First, time. Since 1 October 2026 an employee has six months less one day to start most tribunal claims, where it used to be three months. Keep the notes of a dismissal for longer and expect claims to arrive later.

Second, who can claim. For dismissals from 1 January 2027 the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal falls from two years to six months. Dismissing someone at 18 months without a reason or a process will no longer be safe. Probation needs to be managed inside the first six months, with reviews written down.

Third, value. For dismissals from 1 January 2027 the cap on the compensatory award is removed. For dismissals up to 31 December 2026 it is the lower of 52 weeks' gross pay or £123,543. Claims by senior and highly paid staff will be worth much more than before, and so will the cost of settling them.

Dismissing fairly

A dismissal is fair only where you have one of the fair reasons (conduct, capability, redundancy, illegality or some other substantial reason) and act reasonably in dismissing for it. In practice that means investigating before you decide, telling the employee the case against them in writing, holding a meeting at which they can be accompanied, and offering an appeal. Tribunals take the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures into account, and can raise compensation by up to 25% where an employer has unreasonably failed to follow it.

We advise at each step, draft the letters and, where you want it, sit behind the manager running the process. See grievance and disciplinary hearings.

Redundancy and restructuring

A fair redundancy needs a genuine reduction in the work, a sensible pool, selection criteria that can be measured, real consultation and a search for alternative roles. Where you propose 20 or more redundancies at one establishment within 90 days, you must also consult collectively for at least 30 days before the first dismissal, or 45 days where 100 or more are proposed, and notify the Secretary of State. Employees who are pregnant or on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave have priority for suitable alternative vacancies.

We plan the timetable with you, check the criteria and scoring, and draft the documents. Our redundancy page sets out the rules from the employee's side.

Settlement agreements and protected conversations

A settlement agreement ends the employment, or a dispute, on agreed terms and stops the employee bringing the claims it covers. It only works if it meets the statutory conditions, including independent advice for the employee, so the drafting matters.

Under section 111A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 you can hold a pre-termination negotiation, often called a protected conversation, and it cannot be used as evidence in an ordinary unfair dismissal claim. The protection has limits. It does not apply to discrimination, whistleblowing or other automatically unfair dismissal claims, and it is lost where there is improper behaviour such as undue pressure. We prepare the conversation and the offer with you before either happens. For the employee's side see settlement agreements.

Defending an employment tribunal claim

When a claim arrives, your response (the ET3) must reach the tribunal within 28 days of the date the claim was sent to you. Miss it and judgment can be entered against you without a hearing. Send us the claim form the day it arrives. We assess the claim, advise on whether to defend or settle, draft the response and run the case through disclosure, witness statements and the hearing. See employment tribunal representation.

What it costs

Advice on a single decision or document is usually a fixed fee, agreed before we start. Our prices for defending unfair and wrongful dismissal claims are on the fees page, and we give a written estimate before each stage. A first consultation is £100 for half an hour or £180 for an hour.

Questions people ask

How long does an employee have to bring a tribunal claim?

Six months less one day for most claims, where the dismissal or act complained of was on or after 1 October 2026. Acas early conciliation pauses the clock.

Can I dismiss an employee with less than two years' service?

For dismissals up to 31 December 2026 an employee needs two years' service to claim ordinary unfair dismissal. From 1 January 2027 it is six months. No qualifying period applies to discrimination, whistleblowing and other automatically unfair reasons, so take advice before dismissing anyone.

What is a protected conversation?

A pre-termination negotiation under section 111A of the Employment Rights Act 1996. It cannot be used as evidence in an ordinary unfair dismissal claim. It is not protected in discrimination or automatically unfair dismissal claims, or where there is improper behaviour.

How long do we have to respond to a tribunal claim?

28 days from the date the tribunal sent you the claim. If the response is late, judgment can be entered against you.

When do we have to consult collectively on redundancies?

Where you propose 20 or more redundancies at one establishment within 90 days. Consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal, or 45 days where 100 or more are proposed.

Do you act for employees as well?

Yes. We act for both, though never on both sides of the same dispute. It means we know how the other side will run a claim.