Employment Contract Solicitors

Start by making sure the terms of the contract match what you were offered in the recruitment process. The contract should outline all the rights and benefits you are expecting, including salary, bonus, and working hours.

You may also need to consider any post-termination restrictive covenants – in your new contract, but also your previous one. If any of the terms of your new contract breach any restrictive covenants you signed with a previous employer, you should seek legal advice. You should also consider the impact of any new restrictions on your future career.

If your employer doesn’t respect the terms of your employment contract, you may be able to make a claim in the High Court for wrongful dismissal or breach of contract.

For persistent or serious breaches, you may also feel that you can no longer work for the employer. If your employer’s actions and behaviours have gone too far, they may have breached the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence which underpins every employment contract.

You may be able to resign and make a claim for constructive dismissal. We can advise you on whether you are likely to succeed and help you move forward.

There are a number of ways you can pay for your legal work:

• Hourly rate – this is how most of our cases are funded. You only pay for the time you use.
• Agreed fixed fees – in more complex cases it might be more cost effective for us to agree a fixed fee for your work.
• Legal expenses insurance – this is legal cover that’s often a bolt-on to home insurance. It’s worth seeing if you have this as it may cover some or all of your legal fees.
• Trade union membership – if you are a member of a union, they might have something in place that pays your legal fees if you have an employment dispute.
• Your employer – in some instances your employer may pay some of your costs (this can be the case if you are negotiating a settlement agreement).
• Third party funding – this is where someone who isn’t directly involved in your case agrees to pay your costs.
• Crowd funding – it may be possible to crowd fund your case using the CrowdJustice website (particularly if it’s of public interest).

We can review your options in an initial meeting and let you know how to best pay for your case.

Make sure you have any relevant membership/insurance documents to hand – they’ll help us understand any cover you already have.