Employee discussing a redundancy letter with a solicitor at a quiet London office table

For employees · Ace Counsel

Redundancy, settlement agreements and unfair dismissal

A settlement agreement or redundancy letter can come with a deadline measured in days. Get independent advice before you sign or let time run out.

We’ll assess the offer, the process and your options in plain English. Time matters.

Discuss your situation Call +44 7700 078234

Solicitor reviewing a settlement agreement with a pen beside marked payment and reference clauses

Agreement review

Understand the terms before signing

A settlement agreement can waive your right to bring specified employment claims. Some rights cannot be waived this way, and the wording determines what you’re giving up.

We check payment, notice, holiday pay, warranties, confidentiality and reference wording line by line. Independent legal advice is required for the agreement to waive relevant claims; ask who will meet the advice fee.

Read every clause. Send the key dates and offer summary to arrange a review.

Employee and manager seated across a small meeting table reviewing redundancy consultation notes

Redundancy process

Was the selection process fair?

We look at consultation, the selection pool and whether scoring criteria were applied consistently. A meeting labelled “consultation” does not settle the question.

We also check suitable alternative roles, any trial period, notice, statutory redundancy pay and unpaid sums. Bring the letters and figures you have.

Talk through your redundancy consultation before replying to an offer.

Employment tribunal correspondence and a paper calendar on a desk with a marked response date

Claims and deadlines

Assess an unfair dismissal claim

We assess the reason for dismissal, the evidence available and what a claim could realistically achieve. Pre-claim correspondence may be a practical option.

For many tribunal claims, the time limit is three months less one day from the relevant event. ACAS Early Conciliation can affect how time is calculated, so get advice promptly.

Do not assume you have time to wait.

Claim limits depend on the facts and claim type. We’ll help identify the dates that matter.

Confidential workplace documents kept in a closed folder beside handwritten notes in a private office

Sensitive workplace issues

Discrimination and whistleblowing concerns

Discrimination or a protected disclosure may change how a dismissal should be assessed. We can discuss concerns discreetly while an internal process is still live.

Keep relevant records lawfully and make a note of key dates before access to work systems changes. Do not copy confidential business material without advice.

Discrimination at work

Note what happened, when it happened and who was present. The legal test depends on the protected characteristic and the evidence.

Whistleblowing and protected disclosures

Record what you raised, how you raised it and any action that followed. The wording and circumstances of a disclosure matter.

Confidentiality during a live process

We can help you consider what to say, what to retain and how to respond without escalating matters unnecessarily.

Solicitor preparing a clear written response beside a laptop and employment correspondence

Before a claim

Choose a practical next step

You may need to respond to an offer, request missing information or prepare for ACAS Early Conciliation. We’ll help you weigh the evidence, likely outcomes and immediate decisions.

A short, focused plan can help you act before a deadline. We’ll explain what needs attention first.

Arrange a scoping call

Employee preparing a concise written enquiry at a desk with a dated letter and notebook

Prompt, confidential contact

Get advice before you sign

Tell us when the letter arrived, the response deadline and what the offer says. We can discuss the documents after an initial scoping call.

Start with the dates.

Phone: +44 7700 078234

Email: [email protected]