Alison Fielden & Co. - Litigation & Employment Department

Litigation

As a private individual or a business (as individuals or through a company), you may unfortunately find yourself involved in litigation, either through having to take legal proceedings against another or having legal proceedings brought against you. Most litigation centres upon money, one party generally claiming that he/she is owed money by the other or has suffered financially due to the actions of another. There can however be many other circumstances that result in litigation. If you believe that you have reason to commence legal proceedings against another, or you have had legal proceedings commenced against you, please contact us for assistance. We will discuss the matter with you in detail and give you realistic and sensible advice as to the way forward.

With respect to litigation, we can assist with the following:

If you are business owner, one of the most common problems you may face is simply getting your bills paid! We can assist you with this common problem at minimal cost. Often it is simply the arrival of a solicitors' letter making formal demand of payment that will get your invoices paid. Please speak to us if you need assistance getting your invoices paid.

Employment

As an employee, you may find yourself in dispute with your employer. Likewise, as an employer you may find yourself in dispute with an employee. Regardless of what side you are on, we can assist. Often issues between employees and employer can be resolved in straightforward manner, ending the employee/employer relationship, if necessary. Where disputes between an employee and employer cannot be resolved at an early stage, it may be necessary to bring the matter before the Employment Tribunal, the Court which resolves such matters. Please contact us to check our availability for this service.

Settlement Agreement: the most common reason for the involvement of a solicitor in an employment matter is the ending of employment. It may be that you, as the employer, need to make redundancies or that you, as the employee, are being made redundant. Alternatively, a dispute between employer and employee may be resolved by the employer and employee parting company. Whatever the cause of the end of the employer/employee relationship, it is often formally ended by what is termed a "Settlement Agreement". This is an agreement which severs, for the most part, the employer/employee relationship. Under such an agreement, the employee is giving something "extra", usually money, beyond what he/she is entitled to, in return for giving up almost all of his/her rights in respect of his/her employment. An employee who signs a Settlement Agreement must have legal advice regarding the implications of such an agreement.

In respect of employment matters, we can assist with the following:

Please see our document on Employment Law: Cost Estimates and Key Stages.

Please contact us by e-mail or call our offices with any queries on Litigation or Employment Law.

Alison Fielden & Co.
The Gatehouse
Dollar Street
Cirencester
Glos. GL7 2AN
Tel 01285 653261
Fax 01285 885372
alison@alisonfielden.co.uk