Running a business means dealing with employment challenges that can escalate quickly. Whether you’re managing a disciplinary issue, restructuring your team, or facing a tribunal claim, you need practical legal advice that protects your business and gives you confidence to make decisions. We’re here to provide that guidance, in English or Welsh, with straight answers and no unnecessary jargon.
To speak to an employment law consultant today, call us on 02920 829 100 or use our Contact us form.
Excellent rating by Review Solicitors | Ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
Employment law can feel like a minefield. One wrong move and you’re facing tribunal claims, reputational damage, or unexpected costs. But here’s the thing: most employment issues are manageable when you have the right advice at the right time.
We work with businesses across Wales and the UK, from startups finding their feet to established companies managing complex workforce changes. Our employment law team understand the commercial pressure you’re under. We don’t just tell you what the law says; we explain your options, outline the risks, and help you choose the path that works for your business.
Whether you need ongoing HR support, help with a specific issue, or representation at an employment tribunal, you’ll work directly with experienced employment solicitors who know law inside out. And if you operate bilingually, we’re Wales’ only commercial law firm offering full Welsh language services at every level.
Let’s talk about what’s keeping you up at night and find a solution together.
Get in touch today for practical employment law advice that actually helps your business move forward.
Handling disciplinaries properly protects your business from unfair dismissal claims. We’ll guide you through investigations, disciplinary hearings, and appeals, making sure you follow fair process while managing the situation efficiently. We can draft documentation, advise on sanction levels, and represent you if things escalate. Quick action prevents small issues becoming expensive tribunal claims.
View more on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
Facing a tribunal claim? We’ve defended hundreds of businesses against unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing claims. You’ll get honest advice on your prospects, help managing ACAS early conciliation, and robust representation throughout the process. We know when to settle and when to fight. Our solicitors specialising in employment law have seen every type of claim and know how to build strong defences.
View more on Employment Tribunal Defence
Whether you’re making one person redundant or restructuring entire departments, we’ll help you navigate consultation requirements, calculate payments correctly, and minimise legal risk. Our approach is sensitive to the human side while protecting your commercial interests. Get the process right and you avoid costly tribunal claims down the line.
View more on Redundancy and Restructuring
Sometimes parting ways is the right call. We draft watertight settlement agreements that protect you from future claims while treating departing employees fairly. We handle negotiations, ensure tax efficiency, and make the process as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Best employment lawyers know how to structure these agreements to give you real protection.
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Good contracts and clear policies prevent problems before they start. Our employment solicitors draft and review contracts, handbooks, and policies tailored to your business, covering everything from restrictive covenants to flexible working. Plain language, legally sound, and practical to implement. Whether you’re a Cardiff business or operating nationally, we make sure your documentation works.
View more on Contracts and Policies
Buying or selling a business? TUPE transfers come with specific obligations around employee consultation and terms protection. We guide you through the entire process, handle union negotiations if needed, and ensure you’re compliant without nasty surprises down the line. Specialist employment lawyers make TUPE transfers manageable instead of terrifying.
Discrimination claims can be costly and reputationally damaging. We advise on reasonable adjustments, harassment allegations, equal pay audits, and protected characteristics issues. Our focus is prevention through good practice, but we’re experienced litigators when claims arise. Employment lawyers for employers need to know this area inside out, and we do.
View more on Discrimination and Equality Law
Parting ways with directors or senior employees needs careful handling. We negotiate exits, draft service agreements, advise on garden leave and restrictive covenants, and manage disputes over bonuses or share options. Discretion and commercial pragmatism are key. These situations need employment lawyers for companies who understand boardroom dynamics.
Many businesses don’t need a full-time HR department but want expert advice on tap. We offer flexible retainer arrangements where you can call us whenever employment questions arise. Quick responses, practical guidance, and peace of mind that you’re getting it right. Think of us as your outsourced employment law team.
View more on HR Advisory Retainers
You’ll work directly with our employment solicitors handling your case, no layers of paralegals or account managers. When you call, you speak to someone who knows your business and can give immediate guidance and specialist legal advice. That means faster decisions and advice that’s genuinely useful. When you’re searching for employment lawyers near me, proximity matters less than accessibility, and we’re always accessible.
We’re Wales’ leading commercial law firm for Welsh language employment law services. If you operate bilingually, your contracts, policies, tribunal representation, and day-to-day advice can all be delivered yn Gymraeg. That’s not an add-on, it’s built into everything we do. For Welsh businesses, having solicitors in employment law who truly understand bilingual workplaces makes a real difference.
Employment issues don’t wait for business hours. We move quickly, return calls promptly, and make ourselves available when you need urgent advice. Our team works collaboratively across departments, so you get the benefit of different specialisms without bureaucracy. That’s what sets the best employment law solicitors apart from the rest.
We won’t sugarcoat difficult situations or promise outcomes we can’t deliver. You’ll get straight answers about risks, costs, and realistic timescales. Our advice is commercial, we understand you’re running a business, not just managing legal compliance. Employment lawyers can give legal advice, but we give business advice that happens to involve employment law.
Over 20 years advising Welsh and UK businesses | Â Ranked in Legal 500 for Employment Law | Full Welsh language services
Call us or drop an email explaining your situation. We’ll have an initial conversation to understand what’s happening and whether we can help. There’s no charge for this first chat, it’s about working out if we’re the right fit. Whether you found us searching for employment law solicitors near me or through recommendation, we’re approachable from the first moment.
If you decide to instruct us, we’ll analyse your situation properly and lay out your options. We’ll explain the risks and benefits of each approach, give you realistic timescales, and provide a clear costs estimate. You’ll know exactly where you stand. That’s what specialist employment law solicitors should do, remove uncertainty.
Once you’ve chosen a path, we get moving. That might mean drafting documents, handling negotiations, managing tribunal proceedings, or providing ongoing support. You’ll have direct access to your solicitor throughout, no chasing for updates. We treat your business like we’d treat our own.
We aim to resolve issues efficiently while protecting your interests. Once a matter concludes, we’ll often suggest policy improvements or contract changes to prevent similar issues arising. Think of us as part of your extended team, not just external solicitors for employment law matters.
Typical timescales: Simple advice calls (same day/next day) | Contract drafting (3-5 days) | Tribunal defence (3-6 months from claim to hearing) | Redundancy consultations (30-45 days minimum for collective)
We believe in transparent pricing. You’ll get a clear costs estimate before we start work, and we’ll flag if things might change as the matter develops. No nasty surprises.
Fixed fees for defined pieces of work like contract drafting, policies, and settlement agreements. You know the cost up front.
Hourly rates for ongoing advice and tribunal work, with regular cost updates so you’re never in the dark about spend.
Retainers for businesses wanting regular HR support at a predictable monthly cost. Many of our clients prefer this approach.
Direct payment works for most businesses. Many have legal expenses insurance that covers employment claims, and we can liaise with insurers directly to make that process smooth. Payment plans are available for longer cases where spreading costs makes sense.
What matters most? You get quality legal advice that’s worth what you pay. We’re transparent about costs from the start, and we’ll always discuss options if budget is tight. Access to a Employment law team for a company shouldn’t be a luxury, they should be accessible.
Darwin Gray have provided us with a first-class service for many years now. They really take the time to understand our business and develop relationships which results in advice and support that is contextualised and effective.
Rebecca Cooper, Head of HR, ACT Training
The team combines expertise, integrity, and dedication to their clients. They offered us innovative solutions and a personalised attention.
Legal 500
Darwin Gray are a very resourceful and ambitious practice. They have a wide breath of areas in which they advise and recruit extremely well, with a number of very talented junior lawyers. They are approachable and responsive.
Legal 500
It depends on your case strength, the costs involved, and business impact. We’ll give you honest advice on your prospects of success. Sometimes settling early makes commercial sense even if you’d likely win, tribunal defence is time-consuming and stressful. Other times, fighting sends the right message or the claim is so weak that defending is the smarter call. We’ll lay out the options clearly so you can make an informed decision.
Yes, but you need to follow fair process. That means warnings, improvement plans, and giving the employee a genuine chance to improve before dismissal. Rushing straight to dismissal without process typically leads to unfair dismissal claims. We can guide you through capability procedures that are legally sound while being time-efficient. The key is proper documentation and genuine attempts to support improvement.
Solicitors typically specialise in either employer or employee work, not both, to avoid conflicts of interest. We exclusively advise businesses and employers, which means our advice is focused on protecting your commercial interests while staying legally compliant. If you’re looking for advice as an individual employee, we can point you toward specialist employee representatives. You can view our employee services here.
From receiving the claim to the final hearing typically takes 6-12 months, though straightforward cases can be quicker and complex ones longer. The process includes ACAS early conciliation (usually 4-6 weeks), the claim being issued, preliminary hearings if needed, evidence exchange, and then the final hearing. Most cases settle before the hearing date. We keep you updated throughout and manage timescales tightly.
Both work. Many clients call us when specific issues arise, that’s absolutely fine. Others prefer retainer arrangements where we’re on tap for regular HR queries, contract reviews, and policy updates. Retainers make sense if you’re dealing with frequent employment questions or want proactive support rather than reactive fire-fighting. We’re flexible and can discuss what suits your business.
Settlement agreements (formerly called compromise agreements) are legal contracts where an employee agrees to waive their right to bring tribunal claims in exchange for compensation. You’d typically use them when parting ways with an employee where there’s risk of claims, redundancy situations, performance exits, or relationship breakdowns. They’re tax-efficient and give you certainty that the employee can’t come back with claims later. The employee needs independent legal advice, which you usually pay for.
Absolutely. You don’t need an in-house HR department to get good employment law guidance. We advise on disciplinaries, grievances, contract changes, absence management, performance issues, anything where employment law intersects with people management. Quick phone calls often prevent small issues becoming big problems. We work with your existing HR function or act as your outsourced HR legal support.
You’re legally required to handle grievances properly through a formal process, investigating the complaint, holding a grievance meeting, and providing a written outcome with appeal rights. Mishandling grievances often leads to constructive dismissal or discrimination claims. We can advise on investigating complaints, drafting responses, and conducting hearings. Acting quickly and fairly is key, even if you think the grievance is unfounded.
Genuine redundancy requires a fair selection process, proper consultation, and correct notice and payment calculations. For fewer than 20 redundancies, individual consultation is usually 2-4 weeks minimum. For 20+ employees, collective consultation rules apply with 30-45 day minimums. You need to look at alternative employment, allow appeals, and calculate redundancy pay correctly. Get this wrong and you’re facing unfair dismissal claims. We guide clients through every step to minimise risk.
Restrictive covenants are clauses in employment contracts that restrict what employees can do after leaving, typically non-compete, non-solicitation of clients/staff, and confidentiality clauses. They’re only enforceable if they’re reasonable in scope, duration, and geography, and protect legitimate business interests. Generic or overly broad restrictions won’t hold up. We draft covenants that actually work and advise on enforcement when ex-employees breach them.
Yes, TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) applies when businesses or parts of businesses change hands. Employees automatically transfer with their existing terms, and both buyer and seller have consultation obligations. We handle TUPE due diligence, employee consultations, liability assessments, and post-transfer contract harmonisation. Getting TUPE wrong can be expensive, claims have no cap and buyer inherits seller’s liabilities.
We’re based in Cardiff and Bangor, but we work with businesses throughout Wales and across the UK. Whether you’re in South Wales, North Wales, or further afield, we provide the same responsive service with face-to-face meetings where helpful or virtual consultations that fit your schedule.
Our Cardiff office serves businesses across South Wales including Swansea, Newport, and the Valleys. Our Bangor office supports businesses throughout North Wales including Wrexham, Anglesey, and Gwynedd.
As Wales’ leading Welsh language commercial law firm, we’re particularly experienced supporting Welsh businesses navigating bilingual workforce requirements. If you’re a Welsh business looking for employment law solicitors who understand your unique context, let’s talk.
Employment law issues won’t fix themselves, they escalate. But you don’t have to figure this out alone.
Whether you’re dealing with a tribunal claim that landed this morning, planning a restructure, or just want an expert on speed dial for HR questions, we’re here to help. We’ll give you straight answers, practical options, and the confidence to make good decisions for your business.
Call Our Employment Law Experts today on 02920 829 100, or fill in our Contact us and let’s talk about what you need.
Direct access. Welsh language services. Honest advice that actually helps.
To speak to one of our experts today, please contact us on 02920 829 100 or by using our Contact Us form for a free initial chat to see how we can help.
02920 829 100 
