Contracts & handbooks
Employment contracts, consultancy agreements, staff handbooks and the policies that keep you compliant.
For employers
Employment law.
Practical employment advice for growing businesses — contracts, policies, day-to-day HR issues and the difficult conversations, handled properly.
Employment law is where good businesses trip up — often not through bad intent but because a process was not followed. We give employers clear, commercial advice on the contracts and policies that prevent problems, and steady hands on the disputes, exits and reorganisations that need to be handled carefully — so a good business doesn't come unstuck over a process it could have got right.
Whatever the matter, our approach is the same: work out what you actually need, tell you plainly where you stand, and handle it properly — from a senior solicitor you deal with directly, in language that doesn't need a translator. It's law for people who have a business to run.
When clients come to us
You probably need us if…
You're hiring and need proper contracts and policies in place from day one.
You've got a performance, sickness or conduct problem you need to handle correctly.
You need to let someone go and want it done properly, not painfully.
You're restructuring the team or making redundancies.
A former employee is competing with you or trying to poach clients and staff.
You've received a tribunal claim or a grievance you can't resolve internally.
How we help
Employment law — in practice.
The everyday work we do in this area. If what you need isn't listed, ask — the odds are we handle it.
Day-to-day HR advice
Disciplinaries, grievances, sickness, performance and the questions that come up as a team grows.
Settlement agreements
Documenting an agreed exit cleanly, with the payments and tax treatment set out correctly.
Restructures & redundancies
Getting the process right when roles change or headcount has to reduce.
Restrictive covenants
Protecting your clients, staff and confidential information when someone leaves.
Tribunal claims
Defending claims robustly and commercially when a dispute cannot be resolved.
Working with us
What to expect.
A straight answer, fast
We'll tell you quickly whether you have a problem worth worrying about, and what your realistic options are — no drama, no padding, no watching the clock.
Handled by someone senior
An experienced solicitor does your work and stays your point of contact throughout. You won't be pitched by a partner and passed to a junior.
Kept moving, kept informed
We push employment law forward and keep you updated in plain English, so you're never left wondering where things stand or what happens next.
Common questions
Employment law — your questions answered.
Do I have to give employees a written contract?
You must give employees and workers a written statement of the main terms of their employment on or before their first day. In practice a proper contract does far more — it sets notice, confidentiality, IP and restrictions that a bare statement does not.
When do I need a settlement agreement?
Whenever you want an employee to waive their right to bring a claim in return for a payment or agreed exit. It must meet strict legal requirements to be binding, including independent advice for the employee, so it is not a document to improvise.
How do you handle the tax on an exit payment?
The tax treatment of termination payments is a common trap — some elements can be paid tax-free up to a limit, others can't. We draft the settlement so the payments are structured and described correctly, which is exactly where these agreements are most often got wrong.
Will I actually deal with a senior solicitor?
Yes. We're a boutique firm by design — you work directly with an experienced solicitor from start to finish, not a junior you've never met. The person who advises you is the person doing the work, and the person you can call.
How will I know what it's going to cost?
We agree the approach and the likely cost with you before any work begins. Where a matter is predictable we'll give you a clear price up front; where it genuinely isn't, a realistic estimate that we keep under review. Either way, the bill never arrives as a surprise.
Do you only act for businesses, or individuals too?
Both. We act for businesses and their owners, and for individuals and families on private-client matters. Many of our clients are business owners whose company and personal legal needs overlap — and we handle both.
Need help with employment law?
Book a no-obligation conversation — a straight view on where you stand and what to do next.