Legal Representation

If you receive an Employment Tribunal claim and need legal representation, Chubb has negotiated preferential and discounted rates for the benefit of all current Chubb ForeFront and EPL policyholders.

Subject to the terms of your policy our partner will provide you with start-to-finish legal representation in connection with any Employment Tribunal claims, including ACAS early conciliation.

As soon as you receive a claim and indemnity is confirmed under your policy, we will advise the Employment Tribunal of our interest on your behalf, which will mean that all correspondence will come to us.

The first step in any claim is to make sure a well-detailed response is filed within the time limit provided set by the Employment Tribunal. Our partner will work with you to make sure the response fully sets out your case and also that any legal issues are correctly raised including important issues, such as failure by the claimant to comply with time limits or arguments relating to the tribunal’s jurisdiction to hear any claim.

Our partner will make sure that you are in the best possible position at the start of any claim and that any applications for preliminary hearings are made to ensure there is a proactive response and the claimant knows from the earliest stage that the case will be progressed to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

Our partner will make sure the relevant witnesses are identified at an early stage so that they can maximise the available time to work with the relevant witnesses in connection with the preparation of the witness evidence and, if necessary, to prepare them for any appearance at the Employment Tribunal. We know that proceedings can be time-consuming when all witnesses have other responsibilities elsewhere doing their day job. Therefore, inconvenience is kept to a minimum and witnesses are contacted when their time can be effectively used.

Our partner will also work with you to identify the relevant documents for disclosure and will deal with the preparation of the bundles of documents needed for any hearing.

As the case progresses, our partner will deal with the claimant’s representatives and also the appointed ACAS officer together with all the preliminary stages that the tribunal require.

Some cases may be better disposed of without a hearing. Our partner has skilled negotiators and when required will ensure that any settlement is on the best possible terms without the risk of further litigation.

A lot of employment cases require innovative solutions that take realistic account of the employment relationship which may be ongoing, for example, when there is a claim relating to discrimination.  Our partner will look at alternative ways of achieving effective settlements through methods, such as conciliation or mediation.

Our partner will always discuss the commercial options with you and be sensitive to the hidden cost of wasted management time that can be incurred in fighting claims, taking into account factors such as the deductible element that may be incurred.

Our partner will make sure that you are legally represented at the hearing and that your experienced representative is fully prepared and briefed to contest any claim. This will include making sure your people are comfortable with their role in any proceedings. Our partner will provide a witness guide to the process.

It’s important that any case is fully argued at the hearing and that where necessary the claimant and any witnesses are put to strict proof and thoroughly cross-examined.

If any matters need attending to following the hearing, our partners’ service will continue until the claim is fully concluded. Whilst it’s not expected to be needed very often, our partner service includes dealing with any matters or further hearings in relation to compensation and, if appropriate, consideration of an appeal.