Try our new HR Hotline - Get your bespoke quote today

Litigation - Claims & defences

Wiltshire employment solicitors guiding you through a claim and providing your defence

Home » Services » Employment » Claims & Defences

Wiltshire’s leading employment lawyer - How can Goughs support you?

As you are already aware, employment tribunal claims can very quickly become incredibly costly processes. In order to protect yourself from a potential claim from an employee, whether current or former, the best advice is to be prepared and have an excellent procedure in place.

Whilst the cost of seeking legal advice very early on may feel an unnecessary burden to carry, rest assured it really can save you a lot in the long run.

Defending an employee tribunal claim

Firstly, seek advice from a qualified and specialist solicitor. Tribunals cases are very often complex and sadly many business owners attempt to take them on independently after taking advice from friends and family. This doesn’t often satisfy the law. The result – a much more costly outcome.

At Goughs we have the expertise in house to provide you with the right advice and guidance to ensure you are protected throughout the process.

Rebecca Dennis

I have specialised in employment law for many years. I provide consistent and risk aware advice to employers and employees alike. My experience includes both contentious and non-contentious work. My professional background is unique in that I worked for more than 20 years as a barrister providing legal advice, drafting and advocacy for my clients and more recently provided specialist trouble-shooting services on employment law and employee relations at a leading international HR outsourcing company. I have a reputation as a pragmatist and problem solver. I am now proud to lead the Employment Department at Goughs.

Popular questions

What does future planning mean?

There are several steps you can take to ensure that your loved ones are protected in case of your death or if you were ill and unable to make your own decisions.

How can Goughs support me with later life planning?

Trying to plan your legal affairs and finances for later life can include

Minimising your Inheritance Tax liability
Sorting out pre-paid funeral plans
Setting up trusts for your family and protecting assets for future generations through a Will.
Appointing Attorneys to manage your financial affairs and to make health and welfare decisions on your behalf by Lasting Powers of Attorney is also an important part of the process.

How can you help my family with future planning?

The strategy will be different for each family, due to their unique circumstances and views on life. Nonetheless, the best advice is to plan early and have the right practical legal advice.

Why use Goughs?

We are specialists in elderly and future planning with a long established reputation in Wiltshire.

Our future planning team includes lawyers belonging to Solicitors for the Elderly who are also Dementia Friends or Dementia Champions

You have 28 days from the date the tribunal sent you the claim form (the ET9), to respond. This initial correspondence will also contain other dates and deadlines which you must adhere to, so take note. Seeking advice now will give your legal team the most time to be able to prepare your defence. Your response will need to be done via a formal ET3 form which Goughs can prepare on your behalf.

The next step may be a preliminary hearing. This is a very important part of the process as it will lay out how the tribunal will wish the case to be conducted. You will then be required to ‘disclose’ any documents which are relevant to the claim. Following disclosure a ‘hearing bundle’ will be compiled with all necessary evidence. The witness statements will need to be prepared and exchanged. The final stage is then the tribunal hearing including witnesses and an examination of the bundle of documents mentioned above.

At Goughs, our employment specialists can draft and tailor contracts and policies to fit your business needs, whilst ensuring they are reasonable and enforceable. We can help with both writing and reviewing existing contracts and advising on breach of employment contract issues. We have built up many years of experience and our team not only offer advice to businesses but also advise on broader business planning issues and sit on various advisory boards, ensuring that our advice and expertise looks beyond the contract itself and ensures all advice really is in the best interest of the future of the business.

Your Employment Law and Employee Relations Update

Are you unsure of the next steps to take with your business? Want to be kept up to date with the latest employment laws? Then sign up to our Employment Bulletin for handy business insights!