Redundancy & Lawyers

[Spinal]

So the company I'm working for is closing down the consulting teams globally.

If I've understood properly, I'm allowed to get a lawyer paid by my company... any advice on how to choose such a lawyer?

M.

 

[PXW]

Your firm will pay up to a set amount, so I'd steer clear of big city firms...best to seek a law firm local to you, who have a partner dedicated to (or mostly working in) employment law.

If you don't have any contacts personally, you can research via the law society; go to the 'find a solicitor' page and you can search by location and specialism.

Meanwhile, sorry to hear you are at risk, and best of luck looking for a new role.

 

[Spinal]

I'm not too worried about being at risk; I just want to make sure I do things by the book and get anything owed to me legally

I don't like the companies decision, but I can understand it. Consulting isn't closing because we are loosing money, in fact - quite the opposite... It's because we are making money, and our partners don't like that we are competing with them. Hence, they threatened to stop selling out products... so now, the company has decided to stop consulting.

C'est la vie ! Onwards and upwards!
M.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

So the company I'm working for is closing down the consulting teams globally.

If I've understood properly, I'm allowed to get a lawyer paid by my company... any advice on how to choose such a lawyer?

I'm by no means an expert, but where I've encountered this before it's been because it's mutually beneficial to do something different to the standard process.

For example if an employee at risk of redundancy asks that their terminal date be bought forward from what a contract or policy might state. This might suit both the employee and the the organisation.

In that scenario the lawyer is involved to make sure that the employee fully understands the implications should they choose to agree to revised terms. Often the lawyer signs a form to confirm that they have advised the employee accordingly.

 

[crockers]

It sounds to me that you will/may be offered a redundancy and have to sign a compromise agreement that doesn't allow you to discuss the terms with anyone else.
To make this a legally binding agreement it is essential that you take legal advise and because of this the company will pay your legal costs up to an agreed amount around £200 - £300.
Call the local large solicitor firms and ask them if they have a partner specialising in this area and if so what are the fees.
When it happened to me he managed to negotiate extra monies for me (can't go into this due to the agreement )

Good luck

 

[Spinal]

Crockers: that's almost precisely what I'm hearing here... the only other advice I've heard is "don't take the lawyer the company offers, get your own"...

So now, how will I pick a lawyer ? Can anyone recommend someone in London or Uxbridge area?

 

[wemorgan]

Sorry to read the news, I hope these links are of use:

Redundancy

Using a solicitor

Bureau details

 

[crockers]

Just call two or three large local firms. Then google the partner mentioned.
A plus is if they are offering a compromise agreement that usually means you are going to get substantially more than they usually pay out and don't want any other employees to know the details.
The down side is you wont know what your colleagues are getting either.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Crockers: that's almost precisely what I'm hearing here... the only other advice I've heard is "don't take the lawyer the company offers, get your own"...

So now, how will I pick a lawyer ? Can anyone recommend someone in London or Uxbridge area?

One of my neighbours works for these guys:

IBB Law
Capital Court
30 Windsor Street
Uxbridge

Tel. 08456 381381

Not sure if this is in their area of expertise nor how 'good' they are. Just remembered who he worked for and that they're based in Uxbridge.

 

[Bryan Allman]

A friend of mine is an employment law specialist and has worked on both sides of the fence (ie acting on behalf of companies, and latterly representing individuals against their employer).

For that reason she has a clear understanding of what options and tactics are likely to have the greatest success.

She is based in Basingstoke but works for clients all over the south. If you want her details feel free to message me.

 

[Geezer]

To make this a legally binding agreement it is essential that you take legal advise and because of this the company will pay your legal costs up to an agreed amount around £200 - £300.

Times move on. I have just been through all this and the solicitor cost was £500, including vetting the Compromise Agreement, which my company agreed to pay. He wanted to charge £750!

 

[Flatflr]

Crockers: that's almost precisely what I'm hearing here... the only other advice I've heard is "don't take the lawyer the company offers, get your own"...

So now, how will I pick a lawyer ? Can anyone recommend someone in London or Uxbridge area?

If this is the case one thing to watch is that any redundancy/payment/loan insurance that you may have will not pay out as the redundancy will in effect be voluntary, may also effect any job seekers allowance (dole) that you may wish to claim.

Nick

 

[macscrooge]

Try this guy - this is his specialty.

Gannons London Solicitors: Alex Kleanthous

Good luck!

 

[tonysurf]

Used to use a firm called Lawfords somewhere in the City of London, they do work for Unions so know employment law pretty well

 

[PXW]

Times move on. I have just been through all this and the solicitor cost was £500, including vetting the Compromise Agreement, which my company agreed to pay. He wanted to charge £750!

So he spent a good 45 minutes on the case then...

 

[crockers]

If this is the case one thing to watch is that any redundancy/payment/loan insurance that you may have will not pay out as the redundancy will in effect be voluntary, may also effect any job seekers allowance (dole) that you may wish to claim.

Nick

How is it voluntary? If its a dept shutting down it's mandatory, the compromise agreement doesn't affect the redundancy status, it just keeps the arrangement private between employer & employee.

Again legal advice would clarify this.

 

[Flatflr]

How is it voluntary? If its a dept shutting down it's mandatory, the compromise agreement doesn't affect the redundancy status, it just keeps the arrangement private between employer & employee.

Again legal advice would clarify this.

The issue is that they may be trying to work it through a scheme where people agree to leave the company and get a payment for doing so, meaning that it's not legally classed as redundancy so that they don't have to jump through all the legal hoops.

A company I worked for did this 3 times, each under a different name (Volatary Separation, Comprimise Agreement and one that I can't remember the name of), only on the 4th round were they legally classed as "redundancies".

See Compromise agreement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Spinal]

Seems like I may not even need a lawyer as I may not be staying with the company long enough to see the first round of RIFs...

It's amazing how quickly word spreads...got an informal job offer today... I didn't even apply to them! Going to see if they want me "right away" or if they're willing to wait for me to find out if I'm going to get some money... either way, I don't mind

Might still contact a lawyer, just to get some advice - it's good to be informed imo

M.

 

[CE230]

If you have legal cover on your house insurance try them first as they often specialise in employment matters.