Employment law covers all matters related to the workplace; whether you work in a small firm or you are a cog in a big corporate wheel. Beginning with hiring, it moves through a complete cycle which can end in cessation of employment, voluntary or forced. On the one hand, employment law is concerned with an employee and his/her rights and obligations. On the other hand, it deals with the employer’s rights, duties and obligations. Into this equation comes matters of legislation, statutory authorities, regulations of conduct and the actual processes through which the law is administered and followed. If you’re thinking about entering this area of law, the first obvious step will be to identify the area in which you want to specialise, looking for firms and opportunities where this requirement can be fulfilled.

Solicitors who represent individuals or a group of employees will work on collecting information and research, preparing documentation (e.g. contracts, claims and pleadings), providing advice to clients and conducting negotiations and settlements on their behalf. Employment lawyers representing employers will provide advice to companies and institutions on defence against claims, HR policies covering all aspects of employment, contractual content on remuneration, early and normal retirements, and negotiate with employees and/or their unions.

Employment law focuses on everything to do with the world of work, including the hiring of resources, advertising of job openings, the recruitment process, new joining formalities, remuneration, the promotion and movement of employees, the benefits and perks that are provided, organisation restructuring, voluntary exits and litigation. Non-contentious work will focus on providing advice, drafting, transactional tasks, and dispute resolution through arbitration and negotiations. Contentious work will cover dismissals, breach of contracts, harassment, redundancy/lay-off and discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, religion and disability.

To practise employment law, a solicitor needs to be agile and adaptable, able to operate in a constantly changing environment. They should have clear and methodical thought-process, good reasoning and excellent communication skills. Furthermore, they will need to be up-to-date with legal and commercial processes. Since this area of law sometimes involves dealing with the good, the bad and ugly aspects of human nature, an employment lawyer will need to be friendly, empathetic and professional. 

There are all sorts of laws and regulations which govern employment, and employment lawyers play an important role in the relationship between an employer and their employees.