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11 September 2015 / Stephen Levinson
Issue: 7667 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Tribunals in trouble

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Stephen Levinson analyses the results of enquiries into the impact of the fees in employment tribunals

Shortly after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced it was to review the impact of the fees in employment tribunals the Justice Select Committee, which keeps the MoJ under review, declared it was to do the same thing. Given the disquiet caused by the fees, perhaps this level of concern should not be unexpected. That is why, before either announcement was made, the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) commissioned a survey of its 6,000 members to canvass their views. This article discusses the outcome of that survey concerning the impact of fees, the enforcement of awards and also the effectiveness of the rule changes. It then attempts to draw some wider conclusions (in the opinion of the author and not the ELA) from tenor of these responses.

The greatest anxiety is related to access to justice. Politicians can be expected to be entirely cynical about such views and will claim that they are based on self-interest and concern about lost business. As a counter, one can say that the ELA’s

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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