Employment
Lawyer awarded costs over law firm’s unreasonable conduct of ET claim
A law firm found to have constructively dismissed its head of family has now been ordered to pay her costs after an employment tribunal ruled some of its conduct of the case unreasonable.
SRA: Solicitors “routinely underestimate” risks in NDAs
The risks and consequences arising from non-disclosure agreements are routinely underestimated and rarely explored by solicitors, a major review has found.
Tribunal makes protective awards to staff of defunct Newcastle firm
The employment tribunal has issued protective awards in favour of 13 former employees of Newcastle firm Short Richardson & Forth for failing to consult over their redundancies.
LSB has “no role” in regulating lawful use of NDAs, Bar Council says
The Legal Services Board has “no role” in “attempting to control or regulate lawyers involved in assisting clients in the lawful use of NDAs”, the Bar Council has said.
Employment law highlights “gender gap” in civil legal justice
Employment law is one of the main areas where women face systemic barriers to seeking civil legal help and legal aid needs to be expanded as a result, a feminist think tank has urged.
Law firm must pay £13k for head of family’s constructive dismissal
A law firm that tried to change its head of family’s bonus scheme without notice and failed to promote her as agreed must pay her almost £13,000 for breach of contract and constructive dismissal.
Chambers ordered to pay barrister £20,000 in costs after tribunal claim
Garden Court Chambers has been ordered to pay former member Allison Bailey costs of £20,000 following her successful employment tribunal claim against it.
Contractor claims specialist ABS aims to “open floodgates”
The legal director of a new ABS specialising in cases for people classed as contractors says he hopes litigation brought by the firm in the next few months will “open the floodgates” to more claims.
Solicitor wins claim against firm for unpaid commission on bills
A newly qualified solicitor has won an employment tribunal claim against a City law firm that sought to get out of paying him commission for exceeding his billing target.
Law centre volunteer “waived privilege” in advancing claim
A law centre volunteer waived privilege to legal advice he received from a Citizens’ Advice Bureau that made it clear his race discrimination claim had “very poor prospects”.
Blog
Why is Andrew Malkinson still paying for a crime he didn’t commit?
Like many in my profession and beyond, I have been moved by the case of Andrew Malkinson, the man who spent 17 years in prison for an awful crime he did not commit.
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
