Employment
Firm unfairly dismissed departing solicitor over Facebook row
A law firm owner unfairly dismissed a departing solicitor he accused of trying to poach clients through Facebook, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Law firms need to act over new duty to prevent sexual harassment
Law firms will need to rethink their approach to alcohol at events as part of preparing for the new positive legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Trainee “bullied and unsupervised” in doing work of qualified lawyers
A trainee solicitor fired for raising concerns about her lack of supervision and the poor service clients were receiving from her firm has been awarded damages of £36,000.
Tribunal makes protective awards in favour of SSB staff
An employment tribunal has made protective awards in favour of former staff of SSB Group, after they were made redundant without consultation.
“Not just banter” – secretary wins sexual harassment claim against law firm
A legal secretary has won her claim of sexual harassment against a law firm whose owner was jokingly described by a colleague as a “sexual predator”.
Fee-earner found in contempt over documents taken from law firm
A fee-earner who has not complied with a court order to return documents taken from his former law firm has been handed a four-month suspended jail sentence for contempt.
Solicitor fired after announcing pregnancy awarded £26k damages
A solicitor has been awarded damages of £26,475 after her law firm withdrew an offer of promotion and four weeks later summarily dismissed her because she was pregnant
Employment lawyer to pay costs after claiming against wrong firm
An employment solicitor who failed to correctly name his law firm when bringing a claim against it for unfair dismissal has been ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.
ASA upbraids unregulated employment firm over marketing
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint about marketing material sent by an employment law business that looked like it was from a public body.
Law firm entitled to withdraw job offer made to “rude” worker
A law firm was entitled to withdraw a job offer from a man who was “rude and difficult” during an online onboarding meeting, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Law firm signed probation review for solicitor without consent
A law firm that electronically signed an inaccurate probation review document on behalf of a recently qualified solicitor without her approval wrongfully dismissed her.
Online employment law specialist targets divorce and conveyancing
The founder of an online employment law firm which specialises in settlement agreements has said he is planning to launch two similar ABSs – one for no-fault divorce and the other for conveyancing.
Solicitor apprentice ordered to pay costs for conduct of failed claim
A solicitor apprentice who showed “utter disrespect, bordering on contempt” to an employment tribunal and her former employer has been ordered to pay costs of £7,200.
Law firm unfairly dismissed long-serving staff member
A police station representative at a North-East law firm was unfairly constructively dismissed after having problems with the partner who supervised her.
Former trainee fails in bid to recoup SQE fees from law firm
A one-time trainee solicitor has failed in her bid to recoup from her former firm the fees she paid to study for and sit the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
Blog
Lawyer burnout is not inevitable: what to do differently
Burnout is not simply an unavoidable cost of being a lawyer. Law firms cannot talk seriously about burnout without talking about how they design the work.
What the Equality Act adds to a housing claim
For those working across housing disrepair, there is a danger in viewing every case primarily through the condition of the property.
The SRA and privileged material – this is not the end
All disclosure to the SRA must now exclude privileged material, which will not only hamper investigations but also cause additional work for firms providing disclosure.
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