Number 1 6 May 2014

Welcome
Welcome to Conference
Chambers' rst newsletter.
Conference Chambers is a
set of barristers' chambers
consisting currently of
barrister Ryan Clement
and Senior Clerk Carole
Paterson. We launch our
debut newsletter during
times of much change in
employment law. The
latest being that as from
today !6.5.14", claimants
must rst notify ACAS
before bringing their claims. We intend to produce a
newsletter that informs our readership about various aspects
of employment law. This publication is the result of requests
made by clients whom we have represented, attendees at our
seminars, those who have written to us after reading our blog
or those who have simply contacted us via email. Also, we
have just launched our LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter pages.
They are in their infancy, so please bear with us. However, in
the meantime, please do make contact, join, link or follow. We
would dearly love to hear from you.
What do we do?
We are a small 'personal' set that specialise primarily in
employment law and general civil. We accept instructions
1 2014 Conference Chambers
Tribunal Claims Fall
The Minister of State for
Education and Business, Mr
Matthew Hancock, announced
in a recent article on the
Telegraph website that there
was a 79 percent fall in cases
being presented to the
employment tribunal for the
last quarter of 2013. The
reason given for this fall was
due to the introduction of fees
on 29 July 2013. Prior to this
date claimants presented their
complaints to employment
tribunals without having to
incur a fee. From 29 July 2013
claimants, with some
exceptions, had to pay a fee of
around 1200 to present and
have their cases heard.
Bogus Claims
The Minister hailed the
reduction as a sign of bogus
complaints being squeezed
out of the system. In addition
to unfair dismissal claims, he
made specific reference to
discrimination and harassment
cases. The last two, in
particular, carries a stigma
attached to them with which
many employers do not wish
to be associated.
CONFERENCE CHAMBERS
NEWSLETTER
Number 1 6 May 2014
from both solicitors and the general public under the Bar
Public Access Scheme. In addition to advising orally in
conference, providing written advice, settling/drafting legal
documents, appearing in court/tribunal and providing general
representation, we o$er training workshops and seminars on
all aspects of employment law and good working practices.
Such training and/or seminars are given or undertaken at our
regular conference rooms or, if convenient for you, at your
place of work.
About Ryan
Before being Called to the Bar in 1996, Ryan worked in
Construction Management. He has three degrees: B.Sc.
!Hons" in Surveying, B.A. !Hons" in English and LL.M. He is a
member of Employment Law Bar Association and
Employment Law Association.
How to instruct?
To instruct us could not be easier. Simply make contact with
either Carole or Ryan via any of the contact details provided
below to discuss your requirements and we shall agree on the
best way forward with you. We look forward to hearing from
you.
29 May 2014 Seminar
On 29 May 2014 Ryan shall be giving a 3 hours' seminar in
Eastcote on good practices for employers when dealing with
sta$ disciplinary and grievances. Many errors that lead to
complaints of unfair dismissal are avoidable. The current
maximum compensation that can be awarded for unfair
dismissal is the lower of %76,574 or 52 weeks of a
complainant's salary. If you would like to attend this seminar
or are interested in attending or arranging for any future
seminars then please contact us accordingly. The fee for 29
May 2014 seminar is %25 for each attendee. Tea, co$ee and
biscuits will be provided.
Conference Chambers
Canada House
272 Field End Road
Middlesex HA4 9NA
Tel: 0208 582 0500
Fax: 0800 2425323
carole@conferencechambers.com
ryan@conferencechambers.com
2 2014 Conference Chambers
Defend v Settle
Putting aside the obvious risks of
compensation for discrimination
cases being unlimited, employers
could either decide to defend
such cases robustly or seek to
settle matters on the condition
that the terms of settlement
remain confidential. Invariably,
there would be a term where
employers declare no admission
of guilt. However, naturally, in
most cases employers would
have paid sums of money as part
of the settlement.
Barrier to Justice?
Critics of the introduction of fees
have argued that they have
effectively been a barrier to
justice. The argument has been
used in conjunction with the view
that the qualifying period for the
right not to be unfairly dismissed
extending from one to two years
on 6 April 2012 has also been
deemed a barrier.
Comment
There were cases where one
might well have thought "would a
claimant have brought this case
had they had to pay to present
it?" However, it is questionable
whether such thought was on 8
out of 10 cases. If correct, the
question remains, "What has
happened to those cases with
potentially good merits?" We
leave that debate to others. There
is also a school of thought that
says the reduction is due to the
'shock factor' of 'now' having to
pay. Once potential claimants
become used to this way of life,
the old ways will return. Only time
will tell who is right.