EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL CLAIM Naomi Cunningham and Michael Reed

THE ART OF WINNING AT A TRIBUNAL: THE DEFINITIVE HOW-TO BOOK

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

‘How useful,’ says Cox J, ‘to be able to reach for a book like this and find, all in one place, sensible and realistic guidance on every conceivable aspect of employment legislation.’ This ‘rare gem’ as the New Law Journal has described it, is less a law book as such, than an overwhelmingly practical guide to the conduct of an employment tribunal.

Unlike most practitioner titles published by the estimable LAG (Legal Action Group), this book is aimed at helping those who are not qualified to navigate their way through the often intricate procedures and pitfalls of an employment tribunal, including claimants acting for themselves or their unqualified, or partly qualified advisers.

However, also note the usefulness of this book for lawyers: those who find themselves involved in tribunal work only occasionally, or specialist employment lawyers who will find this book, with its practical plain-speaking approach, a valuable assistant in helping them explain tribunal matters to their often uncomprehending clients.

Logically structured, the book is divided into chapters that broadly correspond to the sequence of employment tribunal proceedings. Practical guidance on each stage of proceedings is methodically delivered chapter by chapter, while at the same time, alerting hopeful claimants to the unwritten rules inherent in the decision making process. The book demystifies the procedures as well as the jargon which emerges as an inescapable part of the tribunal process.

This new fourth edition has been updated to include, most importantly, the new employment Tribunal Rules of procedure 2013, plus useful advice on tribunal fees, as well as guidance on the Early Conciliation Process shortly due to come into force. Those fees of course, are at the centre of Cunningham and Reed’s very sound advice as to whether or not a claimant should go ahead with a claim. Think not about what you’ll get, (probably an unrealistic hope), but what it will cost you to get it – is the central message.

Then there is the time factor. ‘Read this first: time limits’ cautions the headline on the first page of the text, followed by ‘read this second’ and eventually ‘read this third: mitigation’. In other words, if you have lost your job, get cracking and start assembling your evidence now – it may be months before you get a hearing – and do read this easy-to-read book, with its wealth of resources for those wanting further information on cases, statutes, statutory instruments and so forth. The publication date is stated as at 13 November 2013.

By

Phillip Taylor MBE