No area of law has changed as rapidly as employment law over the last few years and when you are faced with such rapid change it is very difficult to make sure your procedures and policies are up to date. The first step with employment law, therefore, is to do what needs to be done to minimise the chances of a dispute. We can help you by reviewing your employment and health and safety policies and documentation to make sure they are up to date and appropriate for the sector in which you operate.

If you do have a dispute, our experienced and capable team will ensure you have the best possible legal advice and representation from start to finish.

Our Social Housing clients are offered a specialist employment law service which is practical and cost-effective with the needs of your business in mind. The employment department can draft and advise on all employment related documents including contracts of employment, disciplinary and grievance procedures and staff handbooks. We can also support in-house personnel and management teams, where appropriate acting on an annual retainer basis (please contact us for further information).

When problems with employees arise, our specialist employment lawyers are able to provide you with clear and concise advice and, if necessary, represent you at an Employment Tribunal.

Many of our Social Housing clients benefit from our tailored training packages and regular email updates

Our Social Housing Employment Services include:

Drafting of Employer Documentation: We are experienced in preparing the full range of employer documentation ranging from one-off contracts or policies to a comprehensive suite of employment contracts and staff handbook. We can also assist with the implementation process in the training of your relevant staff.
Unfair dismissal: We can advise on all aspects of unfair dismissal or constructive unfair dismissal claims and have experience from both sides of the fence.

Race, Sex, Religion/Belief, Sexual Orientation, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Disability and Age Discrimination: Our employment team can offer expert legal advice and assistance in dealing with all aspects of a claim of discrimination, including the drafting of Replies and issues under the new Equality Act regime.
Compromise Agreements: We can assist with drafting and preparing Compromise Agreements, as well as advising you on best practice for your discussions with employees.

Restrictive Covenants Clauses and Injunctions: The employment team has particular expertise in High Court and County Court injunctions enforcing restrictive covenants on behalf of employers. We understand the need to move quickly in such situations and you will be assisted throughout by a specialist employment lawyer. We can also advise employers on the wording of restrictive covenants to be included in contracts of employment.

Disciplinary procedures and Grievance procedures: Employers are required to have in place written disciplinary and grievance procedures. We can assist you both at the outset in drafting disciplinary and grievance procedures tailored to meet the needs of your business and when any dispute arises.
Redundancy and Business Restructure: If your business is contemplating a reorganisation, our employment lawyers can advise you as to your legal obligations and assist and guide you through redundancy procedures and consultations with employees and trade unions.

Employee Benefits: Employee benefits vary widely however we can advise you in relation to a broad range of employee benefits including pension and bonus schemes as well as other statutory rights of employees.
Representation at Employment Tribunal: Representing our clients before an Employment Tribunal is one of our areas of expertise.

Our recent experience acting for Social Landlord Employers includes:

• Advising various smaller to medium sized Housing Associations on a frequent basis in relation to disciplinary, grievance, capability or similar issues. Contentious advice tendered at both during and post employment stages. In addition, review of client's policies and procedures.
• Advising a Housing Association client throughout in relation to the reorganisation of its senior/executive management team, including the applicability of "discretionary payments" and related tax implications. The work also included the preparation, amendment and successful negotiation of Compromise Agreement terms with the employee's legal representatives.
• Advising a Housing Association in the context of a proposed restructuring as to the applicability of the TUPE Regulations, associated rights and obligations, both in relation to previously inherited staff and the proposed transfer-out of staff due to outsourcing.
• Representing and successfully concluding at an early stage of the process an Employment Tribunal claim commenced against a Housing Association alleging discrimination on the grounds of race as a result of refusal of employment. Similarly, successfully concluding an Employment Tribunal claim commenced against a Housing Association alleging unfair dismissal and/or discrimination on the grounds of race as a result of dismissal on gross misconduct grounds.
• Reviewing a Housing Association client's existing Recruitment and Equal Opportunities policies, procedures and Application Forms in light of the recent implementation of the Equality Act.