• "Neil Ashley - 'the only difficulty with instructing him, is getting there first'" - Legal 500 2009
• "Chris Pigram - 'developing a good practice in Employment Tribunal and appellate work'" - Legal 500 2009
• "Michael Lane - 'an accomplished practitioner with a particular interest in agency workers'" - Legal 500 2009
• "Neil Ashley - 'an employment specialist with wide experience of claimant and employer instructions'" - Legal 500 2008
• "Chris Pigram - 'Recommended' " - Legal 500 2008

Employment Group 

East Anglian Chambers has a strong reputation for excellence in the provision of specialist employment law advice and representation, both in the private and public sectors. Our considerable expertise and local knowledge enables us to maintain our position as the leading employment chambers in the region, as well as competing on the national stage.
 
Between them, our 12-strong team of practitioners cover the full range of experience from newly-qualified juniors, to senior-juniors with over 25 years’ call. A number of our practitioners are listed as highly-recommended in The Legal 500 and other directories, have appointments as junior treasury counsel and/or are preferred counsel for some of the largest employers in East Anglia. We are regularly instructed in high profile cases in the region and appear in regional courts and tribunals across the UK, as well as in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
 
We pride ourselves on our intelligent, insightful and commercial approach to advice and litigation, whilst at all times remaining friendly and approachable. First and foremost, we strive to offer solutions to meet our clients’ needs. We regularly accept instructions on a CFA or no-win no-fee basis and a number of our practitioners are accredited under the Bar Council’s Public Access Scheme, thereby enabling them to receive instructions directly from lay clients. We offer preferential rates and fixed fees for regular clients.

 

Non-contentious expertise

Employment contracts and service agreements
Recruitment, selection and retention
Disciplinary and grievance procedures, policies and staff handbooks
Reward (pay, pensions and other benefits)
Working time (hours, annual leave, statutory time off)
Family-friendly rights (maternity, paternity, adoption leave, parental leave, flexible working)
Managing change (restructuring, redundancy and redeployment)
TUPE (business transfers and service provision changes, including two-tier workforce issues in the public sector)
Equal pay audits and job evaluation (including Single Status and Agenda for Change in the public sector)
Trade unions (recognition, balloting, collective bargaining)
 

Contentious expertise

Wage, bonus and benefit actions
Partnership and shareholder disputes
Injunctions (restrictive covenants, confidential information, database rights, garden leave)
Unfair and wrongful dismissal
Redundancy payments
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation (sex, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age)
Statutory-right victimisation and PIDA (whistle-blowing)
TUPE (failure to consult, protective awards, unfair dismissal and contractual rights)
Equal pay (including large-scale multiple claims in the public sector)
Trade unions (including de-recognition, industrial action, injunctions and member rights) 
Compromise agreements and COT3s

 

Other services

Our practitioners publish a monthly employment law bulletin, aimed at solicitors and HR professionals.

 

We also provide regular CPD-accredited training, seminars and webinars on employment law topics.

 

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact Neil Ashley, Head of the Employment Group, directly at neilashley@ealaw.co.uk or telephone 01603 617351.

 

Links and Resources