Employment Law Advice
Problems at work can quickly affect your income, reputation and wellbeing. Our employment law solicitors at Sunrise Solicitors provide clear, practical Employment Law Advice for employees, workers, executives and employers across England and Wales from our base in South Wimbledon, London.
We regularly advise on unfair and constructive dismissal, discrimination and harassment, redundancy and settlement agreements, whistleblowing, wage and bonus disputes, disciplinary and grievance procedures, restrictive covenants, TUPE and Employment Tribunal claims. In suitable cases, we may be able to act under a No Win No Fee agreement after assessing the merits and likely value of your claim.
If you need free Employment Law Advice now, you can call +44 208 543 0999 or send an online enquiry to our team.
What is Employment Law Advice?
Employment law regulates the relationship between employers and workers. It covers your contract, pay, working hours and holidays, equality and discrimination, family-related rights, redundancy and dismissal. These rules come mainly from Acts of Parliament such as the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Equality Act 2010, supported by detailed guidance from GOV.UK and ACAS.
Employment Law Advice is about applying those rules to your situation so that you understand your rights, responsibilities and options before you make important decisions.
What employment law services can we help with?
Our Employment Law Advice team can support you at every stage of your working life, whether you are just starting a role, facing difficulties at work or dealing with the end of your employment.
Before you start your job
We can help you negotiate and review your employment contract or consultancy agreement, explain how bonus or commission schemes work and advise you on any restrictive covenants so you know exactly what you are signing up to.
Disputes while employed
If you are facing disciplinary or grievance issues, bullying, harassment or discrimination, or problems with family-friendly rights, we can guide you through the process, help you prepare for meetings and assist with raising a grievance in a way that protects your position, with reference to the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.
Issues with leaving
If your employer has unfairly dismissed you, forced you out, or you are going through redundancy, we can advise you on your potential claims, check whether the process has been fair and help you negotiate a settlement agreement and severance package that reflects your situation and future plans.
Issues post-termination
After your employment ends, your contract or other documents may contain restrictions on your future activity, and there may be disputes about notice pay, holiday pay or bonuses. We can advise on whether those restrictions are likely to be enforceable in practice and defend you if a breach of contract claim is made.
If you are a business
If you are a business owner, manager or HR professional, we provide practical Employment Law Advice on employee issues, restructures and disputes. Our employer service is delivered from London to organisations across England and Wales and can be aligned with your internal HR processes and existing HR policies.
How our Employment Law Advice service works
Free initial assessment
We usually start with a short free assessment via telephone call or virtual meeting on Microsoft Teams or on Zoom . This is a brief conversation where we listen to the outline of your situation, identify any urgent tribunal or contractual deadlines and confirm whether we can assist. It is designed as a triage rather than a full review of documents, but it often gives you enough information to decide whether you need more detailed advice.
Fixed-fee or hourly consultation
Where detailed advice is needed, we arrange a consultation on a fixed-fee or hourly basis. Before the meeting you can send us your contract, key emails and letters and any relevant policies. During the consultation we explain in straightforward terms how the law and current official guidance apply to your situation, what options you have and what the next steps might be. By the end, you should have a clear, practical plan rather than a list of abstract legal points.
Ongoing support, negotiation and representation
If you wish to instruct us further, we can support you throughout the process. This may involve drafting grievances and appeal letters, corresponding with your employer or their representatives, and using ACAS Early Conciliation to explore settlement where this is required or appropriate.
Where settlement is not possible or appropriate, we can help you start or defend an Employment Tribunal claim and guide you through each stage of the procedure set out on GOV.UK.
Who we represent in employment law matters
Our employment law team provides expert legal support to a diverse range of individuals and organisations across many sectors. From our London office we assist clients throughout England and Wales, including:
- Employees seeking advice on employment contracts, workplace disputes, redundancy or unfair dismissal
- Senior executives needing guidance on complex pay packages, share schemes, restrictive covenants or exit terms
- Directors requiring support with service agreements, boardroom issues and duties or liabilities
- Partners looking for assistance with partnership agreements, internal disputes or exit strategies within professional firms
- Board members seeking counsel on governance, regulatory expectations and high-stakes employment decisions
- Professionally regulated individuals, such as solicitors, accountants or healthcare professionals, whose employment issues may overlap with regulatory or fitness-to-practise concerns
- Contractors and consultants needing advice on status, IR35 questions, contract terms or disputes with clients
- Education and childcare staff, including teachers and teaching assistants dealing with employment, disciplinary or safeguarding issues
- Doctors and other healthcare professionals seeking guidance on NHS or private contracts, internal procedures and the employment aspects of regulatory investigations
We also advise employers, HR professionals, SMEs, charities and public-sector bodies, tailoring our Employment Law Advice to their internal structures and strategic objectives.
Employment Tribunal time limits and ACAS Early Conciliation
For most Employment Tribunal claims, you must first tell ACAS that you intend to bring a claim. ACAS will then offer Early Conciliation, which is a free and confidential process where a conciliator speaks to you and your employer separately to see whether a settlement can be reached.
ACAS and GOV.UK explain that:
- For most claims, you have 3 months minus 1 day from the date your employment ended or the problem happened to start the process.
- For a few types of claim, such as some redundancy pay and equal pay claims, you may have 6 months minus 1 day.
- You should notify ACAS within your time limit, because this is the first step in the claim process.
When you notify ACAS within your tribunal time limit, ACAS guidance confirms that your time limit is paused while Early Conciliation is running and resumes when conciliation ends. Acas In some cases, the law can then give you additional time to submit your claim after conciliation, but working out the exact dates can be technical and may require legal advice.
Some types of claim are exempt from Early Conciliation, although most individual employment claims are covered. If you are unsure whether your claim is exempt, you should check the latest ACAS and GOV.UK guidance or seek legal advice.
Because the basic time limits are short and the interaction with Early Conciliation can be complex, it is safer to seek Employment Law Advice as early as possible rather than waiting until the deadline is close.
No Win No Fee and other funding options
Funding is an important part of any employment case and we discuss it at the outset. We typically offer:
- A brief free initial triage call
- Fixed-fee Employment Law Advice for defined pieces of work, such as reviewing a settlement agreement or contract
- Hourly-rate work for more complex or ongoing disputes
In some employee cases, such as certain unfair dismissal, discrimination or whistleblowing claims, we may be able to offer a No Win No Fee (conditional fee) agreement if the prospects of success and likely level of compensation justify it. Where this is possible, we provide a written agreement that explains how any success fee is calculated, what it applies to and what other costs might exist.
We will also check whether you have any legal expenses insurance, for example under a home insurance policy, that might cover your legal costs for an employment dispute, in line with the way many such policies operate in practice.
Why choose Sunrise Solicitors for Employment Law Advice?
Sunrise Solicitors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID 490903). We are based in London, and act for clients across UK by phone, email and video.
Our focus is on giving clear, realistic advice grounded in current UK employment law and official guidance from GOV.UK and ACAS, so you can make informed decisions about your next steps.
We will discuss your objectives, outline your options and explain the likely costs and funding choices before you decide how to proceed. Throughout, we aim to make the process as straightforward and manageable as possible.
FAQs – Employment Law Advice
Do I need an employment law solicitor, or can I deal with this myself?
You are not required to use a solicitor, and some issues can be resolved informally. However, GOV.UK and ACAS both stress that Employment Tribunal time limits are short and that working out the right type of claim and the correct deadline can be complex, especially where more than one issue is involved.
Taking early Employment Law Advice helps you avoid missing deadlines, understand the strength of your position and decide whether to resolve matters internally, negotiate an exit or move towards a tribunal claim.
How long do I have to start an Employment Tribunal claim?
ACAS guidance explains that for most Employment Tribunal claims you have 3 months minus 1 day, and for a few types you have 6 months minus 1 day, calculated from the date your employment ended or the act you are complaining about. You must notify ACAS within that time limit if Early Conciliation applies.
If you notify ACAS in time, your tribunal time limit is paused while Early Conciliation is running and resumes when it ends, so in practice you may have longer overall to submit your claim. Acas Because the way the rules interact can be technical, it is advisable to take legal advice as early as possible so that your exact deadline can be checked.
Will my employment dispute end up in a tribunal?
Many employment disputes do not reach a final tribunal hearing. They are often resolved through internal procedures, negotiated exits documented in settlement agreements or settlements reached during ACAS Early Conciliation.
If settlement is not possible or the terms offered are not acceptable, bringing or defending an Employment Tribunal claim may be appropriate. We will explain the pros and cons of each route so you can decide how far you want to take the matter.
Can you help with Settlement Agreements?
Yes. We regularly advise on Settlement Agreements for both employees and employers. UK law requires employees to obtain independent legal advice on the terms and effect of a settlement agreement for it to be legally binding, and it is standard practice for employers to contribute to the cost of that advice.
We explain what the agreement means in practice, check that the payments and terms are appropriate and discuss any changes that may be needed before you decide whether to sign.
What should I provide for my first detailed consultation?
It is helpful if you can send us your contract, any key policies, correspondence about the issue (such as invitations to meetings and outcome letters) and a simple timeline of key dates. This allows us to spend more of the consultation time on advice, strategy and next steps rather than fact-gathering.
Speak to an employment law solicitor today
If you need Employment Law Advice about dismissal, discrimination, redundancy, a settlement agreement or any other workplace issue, you can:
- Call +44 208 543 0999
- Complete our online enquiry form to request a call-back
We will respond promptly, explain your options clearly and help you decide the best way forward.
