Employment Law Services for Individuals

Early Conciliation is a process offered by ACAS to allow potential Claimants and employers to try and settle a dispute before Employment Tribunal proceedings are issued.

If you reach an agreement during the conciliation period you can settle your claim by using a COT3 form. If you are unable to settle your claim then your (or the employer) can bring the conciliation to an end and you will receive an Early Conciliation Certificate.

Instigating early Conciliation through ACAS is now a mandatory step that an individual must take before issuing an Employment Tribunal claim. You will need to lodge a form with ACAS and obtain and Early Conciliation Certificate before you can commence an Employment Tribunal claim.

Both are written agreements that you and your employer can use to settle workplace claims.

A Settlement Agreement can be used to settle workplace disputes and is found in legislation. As part of the settlement you will agree to give up some or all of your legal rights against your employer. Because you are giving up such a fundamental right you will need to take advice from an independent solicitor. The solicitor will review the Settlement Agreement and liaise with you to ensure that you understand its content and the effect of it. They may also liaise with your employer to try to resolve any queries or concerns that you may have.

A COT3 does the same thing as a settlement agreement but it can only be used if you reach a settlement through ACAS. This is most commonly the case where a claim has been or is about to be made at the Employment Tribunal. If you use a COT3 agreement you will not need to take advice from an independent solicitor, although it is advisable to do so.

A Settlement Agreement is used to protect employers by stopping employees from bringing legal claims against them. It is a contract between an individual and their employer by which the individual contracts out of some or all of their legal rights.

Settlement Agreements are often used by employers when they terminate an employee’s employment. They will usually involve the employer paying a compensation payment to the employee in exchange for the employer getting the peace of mind from knowing that the employee is giving up their right to make a claim against them.

For a Settlement Agreement to be binding you must take legal advice on the terms and the effect of the Agreement. Once signed a Settlement Agreement is almost impossible to unravel, even if it turns out to be a bad deal. So, it is essential that you take the very best advice, which is where we can help. We have advised on hundreds of Settlement Agreements, from the simplest of agreements to the most complex arrangements at director level.

We will assess your potential claims against your employer and advise you on whether you are getting what you deserve.

Your employer will often not give you their best offer first time and any offer presented to you will often not be set in stone. We can help you renegotiate the terms to make sure that you are properly compensated and that your interests are well protected.

No – we will communicate by email and telephone with your employer and you to receive a copy of the draft Agreement and arrange a telephone/video call with you to review it. We are required by law to carry out an identity check on you which we perform online for a small additional fee.

Our charges are very reasonable and we can tailor them to your needs and to the work that you would like us to do.

In most cases we will agree a fixed fee for your Settlement Agreement, so that you have the comfort of knowing in advance what our fee will be. In the vast majority of cases your employer will pay most or all of your legal fees for taking advice on your Settlement Agreement.

From April 2020, all workers aged 25 and over are legally entitled to at least £8.72 per hour.

• 21-24 year olds £8.20 per hour.
• 16-17 year olds £4.55 per hour.
• Apprentices under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship £4.15 per hour.

National Minimum Wage 2020

National Minimum Wage

National Minimum Wage Entitlement – ACAS

They are the same thing but the National Living Wage is the title the government has given to the highest tier of the National Minimum Wage for those workers who are 25 and over.

We can act for you under a legal expenses insurance policy, which usually cover employment disputes. This sort of policy is often included with, or attached to, household insurance policies.

Learn More About Legal Expenses Insurance here