This one-day course is aimed at lawyers, who wish to gain an understanding of the key principles of employment law.
The aim of the course is to allow you to continue the development of your knowledge and understanding of employment law. The teaching combines both trainer-led discussion and case studies, focusing on key areas of employment law and the most common issues faced by employment lawyers in their practice. The session is designed very much from the perspective of a practising lawyer.
Audience
This course is of interest to trainee solicitors and recently qualified lawyers, who are keen to expand their knowledge of a notoriously volatile area of legal practice, and understand how to deal with issues that commonly arise.
Key Benefits
- Gain a clear understanding of the sources of employment law (contract and statute)
- Be able to identify potential risk areas/claims, when dealing with claims and/or practice areas that touch on employment issues
- Gain a broad understanding of the principles underpinning ‘unfair dismissal’ and ‘discrimination’ (the most common claims) and how these claims are dealt with in practice
- Gain an understanding of the employment tribunal process and how to resolve employment disputes
- Have a better idea of your current level of competence in the area of employment law and formulate a strategy for developing those skills where improvement is required.
Live Online – 16 April 2025
Live Online – 7 November 2025
The course is very interactive, with ample opportunity for group and individual participation.
You will be able to interact with others in the group and take part in practical exercises. These may be a mixture of one-to-one and smaller groups.
Overall, the course is less trainer-led and will instead have a facilitated approach.
- Overview of Employment Contracts/Employment Status
- Introduction to Unfair Dismissal and Wrongful Dismissal
- Overview of Discrimination Protection
- Overview of Employment Tribunals/Resolving Employment Disputes.
This course expects some prior knowledge of employment law (whether from your own experience or the preparation undertaken prior to the course).
Preparation
You will be required to complete (and, if necessary, submit) two preparatory exercises, in accordance with the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA)’s requirements.
The preparatory work is designed to support the learning in the session and is focused on employment tribunals, plus an unfair dismissal case study. The latter area is the focus of small group sessions during the day, allowing individualised feedback on any questions or issues arising from the preparation.
You will be given an opportunity to go through any answers to the unfair dismissal case study in the small group session and will be given a model answer, against which you can reflect on your preparation.
Post-Coursework
The post-coursework for this course is completion of a Personal Development Plan.
By completing this exercise, you will reflect on the knowledge acquired from attending this course, and plan and record ongoing learning and development needs; as required by the SRA continuing competence regime.
A2 Maintain the level of competence and legal knowledge needed to practise effectively, taking into account changes in their role and/or practice context and developments in the law
A3 Work within the limits of their competence and the supervision which they need
A4 Draw on a sufficient detailed knowledge and understanding of their field(s) of work and role in order to practise effectively
A5 Apply understanding, critical thinking and analysis to solve problems
B1 Obtain relevant facts
B2 Undertake legal research
B3 Develop and advise on relevant options, strategies and solutions.