Wealth & Finance International - March 2017

Wealth & Finance International 50 This includes acting for health, social care and welfare providers whose workforces are often large and unionised, which presents its own chal- lenges in terms of dealing with employee relations matters. Successes in this area included a matter that involved a union backed tribunal claim brought by 21 employees against a residential care home provider. The claim was in relation to changes to terms and conditions following a public sector TUPE transfer, however we successfully en- sured that the claim was dismissed; an excellent outcome for our client. Senior Associate Ben Stepney advised providers of social care on de- fending various tribunal claims, including a three-day unfair dismissal, sex and disability discrimination claim against a care home provider and one of its employees. We also advised the trustees of a leading disability charity on the steps that were needed to change its management structure, following the team’s failure to manage significant financial and regulatory risks. Working for individuals The employment team achieved some excellent results for our employ- ee clients in 2016. Susanna Rynehart, Partner, successfully defended a claim made by our client’s previous employer who claimed that he had breached his duties of good faith and fidelity. An adverse result would have rendered our client bankrupt; however, we were able to put a good case together and defend the claim successfully, much to our client’s relief. Over the course of the year Susanna has continued with her work on a case concerning the first male priest to marry his same sex partner, which resulted in the Church of England refusing to grant him the nec- essary license to take up a position as hospital chaplain; a case which is of sufficient importance to have been granted leave to be heard at the Court of Appeal against the background of the General Synod’s debate on the subject. Overall, the employment team had a very successful 2016 in terms of fee income, number of new client matters and client satisfaction, and we will continue to build on these successes in 2017 and beyond. Collaborative Employment Law In September 2016, we joined up with a group of employment lawyers to launch Collaborative Employment Law (CEL). CEL is a new service offered by the group who are committed to working together to resolve employment and workplace disputes between employers and employ- ees. This is an innovative development in the employment market and it is something that, as the founding firm, we are very proud of. The purpose of CEL is to: 1. Resolve employment and workplace disputes in a non-confronta- tional way; 2. Deal with the resolution of employment and workplace disputes in a constructive, pro-active way; 3. Encourage participants to think creatively and constructively to resolve their dispute; 4. Work to achieve a resolution of the employment and workplace dispute and; 5. Ensure a quick and cost effective outcome. The advantage of CEL is that it aims to avoid an employment or work- place dispute becoming adversarial and possibly spiralling down into deadlock with ensuing litigation. It allows the participants an opportunity to voice their respective concerns and interests. The aim is that CEL lawyers work together with both parties to try and resolve the dispute confidentially, efficiently and quickly, which ultimate- ly will be more beneficial to our clients. All members of CEL will have undergone internal workplace mediation training and hold an ACAS Certificate of Internal Workplace Mediation or equivalent. Client feedback We have a loyal client base that repeatedly comes back to us for advice because of the speed of response that we provide to them and the results we achieve. We spend a significant amount of time getting to know our clients and their businesses, which has been highlighted as a major positive in the feedback that we have received. We feel that understanding our clients and their businesses ensures that we are able to tailor our service around their individual needs. This approach to client care and client listening is what makes us unique and this is what has helped fuel our growth. Just over 63% of our work comes from recommendations that have been made by exist- ing clients, contacts and our own people, demonstrating the high levels of client satisfaction with the work that we do. The vast majority of both our business and individual clients regularly score us 10 out of 10 on client feedback surveys and provide extremely positive comments on the service and results that we are able to deliver for them. Feedback from our clients often praises our common-sense approach, with one particularly satisfied client even informing us that he thought we were worth our weight in gold. Plans for 2017 The team’s business plan is to continue with the success that we have achieved over recent years and to increase our profile in the sectors in which we specialise. We will continue providing high quality straight- forward advice to our clients and will continue assisting them with the expertise that we are able to draw upon. As the full benefits of CEL become more widely known, we will become the go to lawyers in the south east for internal conflict and external dispute resolution. The challenges facing us result from those facing many businesses. Businesses that are confident enough to invest in people, to pursue or- ganic and external growth, to strive for efficiencies and to embrace new ways of working will seek out expert legal advice. With our strong client base and reputation for providing an excellent service, our employment team are well placed to further develop our business and recruit more talented employment lawyers. Company: Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP Name: Jenna Cooper Marketing & Business Development Executive Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.ts-p.co.uk Address: 3 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NX Telephone: +44 (0)1892 701302