Sell out performance of live trial prepares employers for handling tribunal claims

Over 50 employers and HR professionals attended a live mock employment tribunal last week to gain first-hand experience of the format of a tribunal hearing as well as to learn about how best to prepare for cases and avoid some common mistakes.

Organised by our employment law team and the Gloucestershire branch of CIPD, we were joined by barristers from Guildhall Chambers in Bristol to hear of an unfair dismissal case concerning an incident at work involving the use of social media.

The barristers cross-examined the witnesses and the audience listened to the panel’s deliberations and heard the verdict. Our employment solicitor Laura Davis guided the audience through each stage of the hearing and outlined tips around case preparation and management.

Matthew Clayton, head of our employment law team, who played the role of judge, said:

“A case that ends up at an employment tribunal can be stressful, costly and lengthy, especially if you don’t know what to expect. We wanted to give professionals the opportunity to see experienced and professionally qualified legal counsel exploring the issues involved in challenging and defending a case before a tribunal, even if it was only role play!”

Chris Hickley, chair of Gloucestershire CIPD commented:

“We’re delighted to have partnered with one of Cheltenham’s top law firms to run an important professional development event for our HR community. We have a strong commitment to training and development and are pleased that this day was a sell-out.”

Geraint Probert, barrister from Guildhall Chambers said:

“Most employers will not have an opportunity to see an employment tribunal case until it’s too late. We hope that this little glimpse into the realities of a tribunal hearing proved useful and will assist employers in better preparing themselves for, and hopefully preventing, any cases in the future.”

We advise employers including national and multi-national concerns, partnerships, LLPs and family businesses on work-related issues. Our 4-strong experienced team of lawyers aim to provide first-class technical advice that is clear and straightforward on matters such as unfair & wrongful dismissal, sex, race & disability discrimination, working time, maternity & paternity rights, redundancy and employment contracts.

Please click here to be redirected to our events page to see other seminars planned during 2017.