Employment law in London

What employment law covers

If your job is at risk or you have just lost it, start by working out which kind of problem you have. Employment law covers dismissal, redundancy, settlement agreements and claims to an employment tribunal. Some of these carry firm deadlines, so the sections below take them in turn.

The SRA Transparency Rules cover advice and representation for employees who bring Employment Tribunal claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal, and for employers who defend those claims. However, this page is a guide, not a list of firms, so it names no solicitor. If you search for employment solicitors London has to offer, knowing the rules first helps.

Time limits and Acas early conciliation

GOV.UK says you usually have 6 months to make an employment tribunal claim if the problem happened on or after 1 October 2026. However, if it happened before 1 October 2026, the usual limit is 3 months. For unfair dismissal, the period runs from the date your employment ended.

You must tell Acas that you plan to make an employment tribunal claim. Acas offers free early conciliation, and you need your early conciliation certificate number to make the claim. However, Acas says early conciliation is a legal process, and it cannot represent you.

If you want interim relief in an unfair dismissal claim, you must make the application with the main claim within 7 days of being dismissed. That deadline is far shorter than the main limit, so note your dismissal date at once. However, you do not pay a fee to make a claim to an employment tribunal.

Redundancy pay

GOV.UK says you will normally get statutory redundancy pay if you are an employee and have worked for your current employer for 2 years or more. However, you are not entitled if your employer offers to keep you on, or offers suitable alternative work that you refuse without good reason.

Your age decides how much you get for each full year of service. Each full year under 22 earns half a week’s pay, and each full year aged 22 to 40 earns one week’s pay. Each full year aged 41 or over earns one and a half weeks’ pay. However, GOV.UK caps length of service at 20 years.

For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, GOV.UK caps weekly pay at £751, and the maximum statutory redundancy pay is £22,530. Amounts are lower for earlier redundancies. As a result, check the date your redundancy took effect before you work out a figure.

You have 6 months from the date your job ends to apply for statutory redundancy pay. Therefore, note that date as soon as you know it. If you need advice from redundancy solicitors London has, our guide to redundancy rights and advice is a good starting point.

Settlement agreements

Acas says that for a settlement agreement to be valid, the worker must get advice from a relevant independent adviser. The agreement must also name that adviser. Therefore, look for the adviser’s name in the document before you sign.

Citizens Advice says your employer will usually pay for you to get independent legal advice on a settlement agreement. However, that advice covers the terms of the agreement, not whether it is a good agreement. For that reason, ask the adviser to explain what each term means for you.

This page gives no amount for the advice, because no reliable range exists. When you look for settlement agreement solicitors London has, ask whether your employer will pay and how much before you instruct. Our guide to what a settlement agreement is explains the document in more detail.

How employment solicitors’ fees work

This page gives no solicitor price for settlement advice or tribunal work. The SRA Transparency Rules cover advice and representation for unfair or wrongful dismissal claims, for employees and for employers defending them. Under Rule 1, a firm must publish the total cost or, where that is not practicable, the average cost or a range.

The same rule asks firms to publish the basis of charges, including hourly rates or fixed fees, and the experience and qualifications of the people doing the work. It also covers likely disbursements, whether VAT applies, and what the price includes, with key stages and likely timescales. However, Rule 1 does not apply to publicly funded work.

GOV.UK says that in an employment tribunal you may have to pay other costs, such as legal fees. If the tribunal decides you acted unreasonably, you may also have to pay the respondent’s costs. Therefore, ask about costs risks before you start a claim. For more on what to ask about tribunal work, read our guide to employment tribunal solicitors.

Legal aid and free help

GOV.UK says you cannot get legal aid for employment disputes unless you are being discriminated against. Therefore, note whether discrimination is part of your dispute before you rule legal aid out.

For free help, start with Acas, although it cannot represent you. The Law Centres Network says Law Centres help people in poverty overcome legal problems, and it lists all Law Centres across the UK on one page.

London employment tribunals

Although venues differ, note these two London tribunals. East London Tribunal Hearing Centre, which handles claims against employers, is at 2nd Floor, Import Building, 2 Clove Crescent, London E14 2BE. London (South) Employment Tribunal is at Montague Court, 101 London Road, West Croydon CR0 2RF.

However, the Find a court or tribunal page says London Central Employment Tribunal is no longer in service, and its business has moved to other neighbouring courts. Therefore, check which venue your claim will use before you plan any travel.

Questions to ask an employment solicitor

Start with fees, because costs shape every other decision. Ask how the firm charges, whether it uses an hourly rate or a fixed fee, and what the price includes. For example, ask whether VAT and disbursements are extra.

Next, ask who will do the work and what experience that person has. Then ask what happens if you lose, including whether you could have to pay the other side’s costs. Finally, ask how the firm’s plan fits the legal deadlines, since some of them are short. Before you instruct anyone, work through the check-a-solicitor page.

Finding an employment solicitor in your borough

Because areas differ, start with the guide page for your own borough. For example, read about employment law in Tower Hamlets or employment law in Sutton. You can also read about employment law in Ealing, employment law in Lewisham and employment law in Waltham Forest.