Employment

ARE YOU an employer? If so, you're being regulated, and you don't need a lawyer to tell you that penalties can be dire for falling foul of regulations.

But you may be wise to hire an employment lawyer if your company wants to anticipate and sidestep the blows.

"New legislation and new regulations are being introduced all the time," says Charlotte Hamer, of lawyers Bond Pearce.

For directors and HR managers, there is anti-discrimination law to consider, plus diversity issues to grasp, redundancy law, implications of takeovers to juggle, relocations, consultation, hiring and firing, pensions, re-structuring, maternity employment law,...and, of course, health and safety laws.

The agenda includes sex, race, religion, age, disability and bullying.

Charlotte says the pace of change is relentless. And she should know. Charlotte is assigned to monitor Whitehall, Brussels and the law courts for changes that have repercussions across the landscape of UK employment. It is a full-time job.

Charlotte's work provides vital up-to-the-minute intelligence for Bond Pearce's team of front-line expert solicitors covering all aspects of the law, from the cradle of maternity employment law to the grave of redundancy and pensions law.

"The prudent company wants to understand and anticipate the legislation," Charlotte says. "And lawyers are best placed to know how it impacts an organisation."

Bond Pearce's employment law solicitors have become an integral part of management strategies in the private and public sectors, from established multinationals through small firms flourishing in the new economy to the NHS, colleges and universities.

The damage inflicted by breaches of regulations can be costly to more than just an employer's bank balance.

"I heard of a board of directors who got to hear about a case only when they had to write a settlement cheque for £150,000," says Simon Richardson, who heads Bond Pearce's employment department.

"And the damage to an employer's reputation can be even more expensive.

"Corporate social responsibility is an increasingly important factor in business. Bad publicity, for example, can cost a company its place on a tendering list.

"The remedy is risk management. Too many employers leave a dispute until it has mushroomed out of control and into a tribunal. It's cheaper to have at your elbow the advice of experts in preventive law."

Bond Pearce expertise does not come cheap, although its fees are significantly lower than the City firms whose quality of advice Bond Pearce is confident its solicitors match.

Some consultants, for example, offer bargain packages of advice and representation at tribunals.

But these one-size-fits-all deals are often characterised by generalisations - and generalists.

"We've found that the regulations and the laws behind them are becoming increasingly detailed," Charlotte says. "And surely that means lawyers have to be increasingly specialised?"

Simon says his team members build a genuine working relationship with clients.

"We've put together a comprehensive service that can also involve colleagues with employment-related experience in corporate, tax, insolvency, employee benefits and pensions.

"We support clients with training programmes, general HR support, employee relations advice and specialist services such as developing employee pay and benefits and change management."