GLP SolicitorsEmployment Law Services

GLP is an established group of legal practices located in the North West.The GLP group was founded in 1970 and is based throughout Greater Manchester. The Manchester City Centre branch is a boutique commercial firm and deals with all commercial matters including corporate support, commercial litigation, intellectual property, debt recovery, employment & HR advice and representation.

About GLP Solicitors

Our Approach

Where GLP differs from the rest is in forging lasting relationships. We get to know you and your business and operate as one of your team so that we are always available to discuss a matter before a formal instruction is required. We pride ourselves on providing you with easy access to effective advice.

If you require substantive advice or involvement, we do everything we can to ensure transparency and predictability so that you retain control over the cost. Generally and where possible, we seek to agree competitive fixed fees.

We are happy to discuss any matter without obligation, and can often give practical commercial advice that can resolve matters quickly and effectively without the need for legal intervention.

Above all else, we pride ourselves on the quality of the advice we provide. Our lawyers are encouraged to consider any issue strategically, think outside boundaries and to develop creative solutions. Whatever arises in your business, we are confident that we can provide the answer to your legal problems.

GLP has an established reputation for providing quick, no-nonsense and practical advice.

Investors in People

GLP Solicitors is proud to have been awarded the Investors in People accreditation, first gained by GLP in February 2001.

Our dedication to providing the best training and development for our employees, not only provides for a happy and productive workplace but is also reflected in the quality of service and advice we can provide to our clients.

Excellence

Lexcel Accreditation

All the GLP Solicitors practices have been “Lexcel” accredited by the Law Society since 2002. We were amongst the first legal practices in the North West to achieve Lexcel accreditation.

The Lexcel practice management standard is only awarded to legal firms with the highest management and customer care standards.

All Lexcel accredited practices undergo an annual, independent and rigorous assessment every year to ensure and maintain the required standards of excellence in areas such as client care, case management and risk management.

The team is made up of genuine employment specialists with extensive knowledge of the full spectrum of employment-related issues. The members of the team work closely with other lawyers within our corporate and dispute resolution teams where needed to provide a complete business solution across the country.

The GLP employment team is used to dealing with all situations no matter how complex, unpredictable, sensitive, high-value or where reputation may be at stake, and including wage and contract litigation, discrimination, TUPE and transaction support, restructuring, reorganisation, and redundancy. We also advise on all aspects of employment documentation, investigations, and discipline.

When things do go wrong, clients can rest assured that we have vast experience in employment tribunal litigation. We represent businesses at every stage of proceedings from planning and drafting the defence through to conducting the final hearing. We advise on changes, if any, to the strength of a case as documents and witness statements are produced.

We also find that it assists clients that, not only are we fully up to date on the seemingly constant changes in employment law, they are too. That is why, in addition to providing talks for groups of businesses on topics that they request, we deliver bespoke training sessions, seminars, and workshops for clients’ human resource teams and managers.

The employment team acts for businesses in all sectors and of all sizes, from small start-ups to huge companies with turnovers of multi-millions of pounds. Whilst our employment team operates out of Manchester city centre, our clients are based all over the United Kingdom.

Employment Services

His experience in commerce and industry provides Ross with a very good appreciation of and insight into the challenges

facing businesses in the increasingly complex world of employment law. Both at BNFL and in private practice Ross has helped numerous businesses to overcome these challenges. He is proactive and offers clear advice and solutions to the problems that employment law inevitably brings.

In the employment tribunal Ross is an accomplished advocate and gets to grips with the legal issues quickly. He is also a skilled negotiator and has significant experience of commercial and judicial mediation.

Ross is always keen to establish a good rapport with his clients and develop a long standing relationship with them. He is approachable, down to earth and recognises that he is part of his client’s team and not sat in an ivory tower.

The employment team is led by Ross Fletcher. Ross has been practising employment law for over 15 years. He spent 7 years as the in-house employment counsel at British Nuclear Fuels Plc (“BNFL”), where he advised the BNFL group of companies on a variety of employment relations issues arising from its 20,000 strong workforce. Ross is recognised as a leading practitioner in the Legal 500.

Our People

Ross is a first rate lawyer. His wealth of experience,

tactical ability and encyclopaedic knowledge of

Employment Law set him apart from his peers. The

highest compliment I can pay Ross is that if I had an

employment issue, he is the solicitor I would instruct.

James Boyd, Kings ChambersLeading Employment Barrister

I am extremely pleased with the way in which GLP handled a complex disability-discrimination claim. They quickly cut to the critical issues and addressed the factual and legal points that would determine the outcome. Through their clear explanations, I understood the case and was confident in their ability. In the end, they brought about a swift resolution. I would recommend them to anybody else facing similar problems.

Mr S. Partner

I have been taking advice from GLP for a number of years. I have always found them to be knowledgeable and ready with the answer no matter what my query. Their advice has always proven to be sound and takes account of the commercial considerations faced by businesses. GLP is always approachable. They listen to my problem and desired outcome first and work back to find the best solution. I am happy to refer all my employment issues to GLP and would rather have them on my side than not.

Dr Rob PattersonDirector: Elan Medical Ltd.

What our clients say

GLP have teamed up with AXA Insurance to offer cover for the cost of dealing with employment disputes. Businesses can be insured for up to £2,000,000 per dispute and the annual premium starts at £300 as shown in the table below.

Insurance Cover

Limit (any one claim including costs). Number of UK employees

Up to 25 25 - 50 51 - 100 101 - 150 151 - 200

£250,000 £300 £375 £525 £700 £800

£500,000 £400 £500 £675 £850 £950

£1,000,000 £500 £700 £900 £1000 £1,100

£2,000,000 £700 £900 £1,150 £1,275 £1,400

Is insurance necessary?Consider the following:

Employees that succeed at an employment tribunal can be awarded, in some cases, unlimited compensation.

Win or lose, the cost to the employer of defending those claims is often around £20,000.

Employers cannot normally recover those costs, even if they win.

AXA Insurance*:

Meets the legal costs of dealing with any claim.

Meets any compensation to be paid to the employee, whether that is a settlement or a tribunal award.

Is available as soon as any demand for compensation is made, not just for tribunal claims.

It only takes one claim to seriously affect your finances. If you want peace of mind that you can save thousands of pounds for as little as £300 per year, then AXA will provide it.

* subject to terms and conditions.

Fixed feesEach time an issue arises, we would agree a fixed fee for advice and assistance. The fee will be tailored to every single occasion you request our help.

Annual retainerYou can pay a single sum (or over up to four instalments), which will be calculated depending on the specific needs of your business and which will provide you with unlimited advice for a period of 12 months. You can choose from our four levels of assistance, set out in the chart opposite. The annual cost of each would be calculated based specifically on your needs.

Pay as you goEach time you require assistance, you will be charged based on the amount of time spent on your matter at the applicable hourly rates. Routine letters or e-mails received by us are charged at a rate of 1/20th of an hour (3 Minutes). Routine letters or e-mails that we write are charged at a rate of 1/10th of an hour (6 Minutes). Telephone calls and longer emails are charged per 6 minute interval. You will then be invoiced at the end of every month. There is no minimum monthly charge or minimum charge for each enquiry, however short and simple it is.

We will also provide you with information on updates and changes to the law as and when they take place so as to ensure that you remain compliant on a continuing basis.

As with most insurance policies, AXA’s cover provides for an excess. However, that excess will be waived by AXA providing you have previously taken our advice on the subject of the claim.

Where we differ from many organisations is that we do not offer a ‘one size fits all’ package. We offer complete flexibility over the funding of our advice so that you remain in control at all times.

When you take up insurance cover, we will review your contracts, policies and procedures at no cost to you. We will discuss whether and how those documents can be brought into line with ever-changing legislation.

Ongoing Employment Law & HR Assistance

Bronze scheme Silver scheme Gold scheme Platinum scheme

Fee includes: minor checks and queries.

Fee includes: Bronze scheme plus disciplinary and grievance assistance.

Fee includes: Silver scheme plus capability, redundancy, contract change assistance.

Fee includes: assistance on all and any matters (Gold scheme plus TUPE support, collective redundancies, and restructure assistance).

* The above list is illustrative and not exhaustive.

** Any work required to be done outside the scope of the particular helpline scheme will be done on a fixed fee basis (as set out opposite) but that fee will be discounted for annual retainer clients.

85 Chapel StreetSalfordM3 5DFwww.glplaw.com

tel: 0161 834 6721fax: 0161 834 2015dx: 25593 Manchester 5

GLP Solicitors and GLP Business are trading names of GLP (Manchester) LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with number OC341970. It is Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with number 511445.Registered office: 85 Chapel Street, Manchester, M3 5DF. Manchester 5.