How to choose from the best employment solicitors in London?

If you have been facing issues at your workplace and have come to the assumption that you need some legal advice, here are our top 10 tips on choosing from the best employment solicitors in London.

Visit their website – This will give you a touch for the law firm and enable you to identify if they have expertise in the area of employment law that you need. Check that it has been timely updated as this will show the firm is up-to-date with daily changes in employment law.

Preliminary Meeting – The preliminary meeting is a major part of choosing an employment solicitor in London. Make sure you speak to the solicitor who will be working on your case and not a trainee, paralegal or other junior member of staff within the firm. Check for an assessed cost of pursuing your claim, the probable outcome, and what their suggested plan of action is. The initial meeting will also help you to establish if you have an employment claim.

Personalities – The initial meeting will allow you to assess if you can work with the employment solicitor. It’s important that you feel you can get along with them, that you trust them, and that you will be able to work in close collaboration with them for what could be a long period of time. Also, you should gauge their attitude – are they aggressive or will they champion mediation or a settlement?

Shop around – This is suggested but not always easy as employment claims have fixed time limits in which they must be brought before an employment tribunal. In majority of cases, including unfair discharge and discrimination claims, you have three months from the discriminatory act to bring your claim.

Recommendation – If strapped for time, a recommendation from a colleague/friend/family member/ reputable referral firm can come in very useful.

Experience – Ask the solicitor about their experience, including how long they have been practicing and their rate of success.

Fees – Most of the people will see this as the most important factor when choosing an employment solicitor. The fees charged will depend on the experience and reputation of the firm and the amount of work they undertake for you. Ask how you will be expected to pay the fees – will they require them up-front, at the end as a lump sum, or will you get monthly bills? Some employment solicitors in London will offer a no-win, no-fee agreement, which means you’ll only have to pay their fees if you win. Before agreeing to a no-win, no-fee agreement, make sure you fully understand all the other costs you could be responsible for paying.

Practising certificate – Make sure the solicitor has a valid practising certificate from the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority, this ensures they have not been struck off the roll and have professional liability insurance in place to compensate you in case they negligently cause your loss.

Locality – If possible, hiring a local solicitor is a good idea. It means you can easily pop in for a face-to-face meeting if you have any concerns, and it may help you to establish a better working relationship with them.

The size of a firm – You may find a smaller company is more suitable for you; it may be less intimidating and may encourage a closer relationship with your employment solicitor. Alternatively, you may prefer a larger, more commercial firm. However, these companies tend to work mainly on behalf of employers.