Chambers Blog

Andrew Willetts, barrister at New Walk Chambers in Leicester, is pleased to announce the launch of five new websites aimed at making it easier for clients to contact him and his Chambers. Andrew is a specialist civil practitioner who works extensively both in the Midlands and the South West, and since August 2008 also undertakes Public Access work.

 

personal-injury-barrister.co.uk

coroners-court-lawyer.co.uk

court-agent-devon.co.uk

court-agent-cornwall.co.uk

landlord-tenant-lawyer.co.uk

Compromise agreements between employer and employee can be a means under which employer and employee can part company amicably. For example in a redundancy, the employee can achieve an   enhanced lump sum on leaving the employment and the employer by virtue of the agreement can be assured that he will not face a claim in the employment tribunal.

However to be valid the compromise agreement must be handled and certified by a qualified person. Barristers hold such qualification and under Direct Public Access are able to advise the employee concerned. Compromise agreements are thus important pieces of work which the employment team in Chambers carry out.

A member of the team Robert Rees has recently advised and certified a number of compromise agreements for employees under the Direct Public Access. In one case he was contacted on a Friday, saw the client on the Saturday, and the certified compromise agreement was immediately in the post.

The Direct Access team as well as having the necessary skill to advise on compromise agreements are able to advise on them with minimal delay.

Visit a new employment Direct Public Access website of Robert Rees:

employmentlaw.uk.com

 

By Robert Rees, part of Chambers employment law team. Certified to carry out work.

Many companies, and an increasing number of employees, are utilising consultancy or Internet companies to resolve workplace disputes, rather than a firm of solicitors or a barrister. A recent decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal confirms that legal privilege does not attach to communications between these unqualified representatives and their clients.

What does this mean for you? Let's say an employee or an employer took legal advice from one of these companies prior to raising or dealing with a grievance. If the dispute subsequently went to an employment tribunal, that party could be forced to disclose the legal advice he or she received. This could be very harmful to settlement negotiations, especially if the legal advice was the not-so-uncommon "Your prospects are weak but you should proceed in the hope of settlement!"

Advice from barristers to their clients in employment disputes is always confidential, and can't be produced in evidence at the tribunal. New Walk Chambers has public access barristers who can provide valuable and tactical advice at a reasonable cost. If done at an early stage this can ensure that you don't put a foot wrong later and risk failure in any subsequent tribunal case.

Please contact us with any queries.

Written by Robert Rees, Direct Access Barrister at New Walk Chambers, specialising in Employment Law.

Chambers' employment barristers act and advise in all employment tribunal matters in Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham and further afield including disability discrimination, holiday pay, breach of contract and unfair dismissal cases.

 Many employment tribunal claims concern constructive dismissal claims where an employee can resign because of an employers serious breach of contract towards him. In legal parlance he can accept the employer's repudiation of the contract. For this, the employee can rely upon the employer's breach the implied term in the contract of mutual trust and confidence. However employers should be alert to a defence they may have if the employee has first broken the employment contract. If so, the employee is not entitled to claim unfair constructive dismissal by claiming a repudiation by the employer because he has first destroyed the employment relationship. This happened in the recently reported case of RDF Media Group Plc V Clements [2008] IRLR 207 in fact a High Court case, which of course New Walk Chambers employment barrister cover as well.

 There Mr Clements had agreed a 3 - year non-competitive agreement with his employers RDF Media Group which he wished to get out of. The agreement provided that the 3 year period would be reduced to 2 years if the employers unlawfully dismissed him. Clements alleged that the employers had breached the implied term of trust and confidence by inter alia going to the the press with unflattering remarks (that Mr Clements was a "phenomenal egomaniac" and other information. The High Court held that the employer had indeed overstepped the mark by going to the press [other comments made internally that Mr Clements was "a bit dim" did not breach the term] and these were in breach of contract as being a serious attack on his character. However Mr Clements could not rely on the employer's breaches because he himself had been earlier in breach of contract by contacting a competitor of the employer and disclosing confidential information: Mr Clements himself had been disloyal and in breach of his own duty of fidelity.

The result was that Mr Clements had not been unlawfully dismissed by the employer and thus was bound by the full 3 year period of his non-competition agreement with the employer.

Wait for the new direct public access employment barrister's website which will be out soon. New Walk Chambers employment barristers as well as offering their services for employment tribunal claims can now in certain cases offer their services direct to the public.

This applies to employment tribunal claims for both Claimants and Respondents in all areas of employment law.

Written by Robert Rees, Barrister at New Walk Chambers, specialising in Employment Law.

  Ruth Manning of New Walk Chambers, Leicester, was called to the Bar in 1993 and has completed the Public Access training course and is registered with the Bar Council to advise and act directly on behalf of the public without the need for them to instruct a solicitor or intermediary. The obvious benefit of this is that it saves costs whilst providing an excellent standard of service to those who instruct her.

Ruth has enjoyed a varied legal background in both the public and private sector and works as a part-time tutor at the College of Law. She is an experienced barrister in the following areas.

Commercial Law:-Breach of contract, building disputes, sale of goods, personal injury, public liability, consumer credit agreements.

Education Law:- she has worked extensively for LEA's on Education and Exclusion Appeals. Ruth can draw on such experience to advise and assist parents who find themselves involved in appeals against unfavourable decisions in respect of school places and school exclusions.

Family Law proceedings :- matters involving Children Act 1989 proceedings, injunctions and occupation orders under Family Law Act 1996, and financial settlements (ancillary relief) under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.

Immigration Law:- Appeal in the Immigration courts regarding asylum claims, visa  appeals and deportation appeals.

Ruth is available to advise in writing, in conference, to assist with drafting letters  and forms for clients to send both before and during legal proceedings, to assist with drafting pleadings and to provide representation and advocacy at court hearings.

 New Walk Chamber's clerks are available to assist with the agreement of fees and dealing with initial instructions.

They can be contacted by e-mail: clerks@newwalkchambers.co.uk. Telephone 0116 255 9144.

The Bar Council web site, http://www.barcouncil.org.uk/  provides useful guidance for the lay client on public access to barristers.

Written by Ruth Manning, Barrister at New Walk Chambers, specialising in Direct Access.