Michael Stokes, Partner, Head of Employment and Immigration Team

When a client required expert advice during two employment tribunals, she turned to Employment Associate Ellis Jessica Walby. Both tribunals were discrimination claims and involved multiple parties – making them even more complex and costly to deal with.

Ellis provided support and, importantly, understanding for her client; her tenacious approach led to both employment tribunals being settled in the same 24 hours after several months of work.

Following these successful settlements, her client provided this short, but to the point, testimonial:

“You are on fire! Thank you so much.”

Ellis is looking forward to working on similar cases in the future.

When a Hereford-based company specialising in secure mobile communications required advice, assistance and guidance from an employment expert during an employment tribunal, they turned to Partner and Head of Hereford Office Rebecca Kirk.

The tribunal had started following allegations of discrimination by an employee who had been dismissed in 2020. Rebecca represented the company involved in two hearings, resulting in the majority of allegations either being dismissed or withdrawn.

Mr Ticehurst, the director of the company, said: “When we engaged Rebecca, to take on our employment case we had little knowledge of the journey ahead. Rebecca guided us skilfully and thoughtfully with a clear focus on our desired outcome.

“We would like to thank Rebecca for her hard work, diligence and responsiveness throughout. The whole experience has been outstanding – thank you Rebecca.”

Employment Partner Chris Mayers was quick to act when he was contacted by a healthcare professional who had become unwell after a dispute with the NHS.

Along with his expertise in the employment sector, Chris provided empathy and support when his client needed it most.

This resulted in peace of mind for his client and her family, along with a substantial settlement. Following the closure of the case, she provided this testimonial:

“I cannot thank Chris enough for the help he gave me. This was at a time in my life when I was at my lowest. I found myself in a devastating position, left feeling very alone and destroyed emotionally at the loss of a much-loved career, that I had worked so very hard for.

“From the outset Chris went above and beyond. He helped us through a myriad of issues and was unerring in his support from the outset. This really helped to take the pressure off me and my family at such a stressful and difficult time.

“The thing that I felt made Chris really stand out is his caring nature. The empathy he shows is such an amazing quality and it really helped me to start getting back on my feet. Having someone fight my corner and believe in what I was saying, made me start to believe in myself again.

“He negotiated a substantial settlement, but what he did for me personally is priceless. Thank you so much for helping me gain my confidence and my life back.”

Ellis Jessica Walby successfully negotiated eight months’ pay without any need to go to a tribunal for a client who had suffered alleged discrimination in the workplace. Combining a calm and reassuring manner and a robust approach, she both supported the client and secured an excellent outcome, with peace of mind that her client can now move on to pastures new.

The client said: “Everyone needs you in their corner when going through something like this. I (very wrongly) thought the process would be cold and indifferent and you brought a real warmth whilst being an absolute bulldog! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and support on this, it made a huge difference to this whole process and I really appreciate it.”

Brexit left one client extremely concerned about how his rights as an EU national would be affected and if he would have to leave the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic further heightened his fears for the future – Kulsum Miah acted quickly to help him apply for British citizenship.

The client, an Italian national, came to the UK in 2015 after his retirement to live with his partner, a British citizen. Having achieved settled status in 2019, both he and his partner had enjoyed the flexibility of living between Italy and the UK. They had strong ties to both countries, and they felt that after his retirement they could continue to travel between the two countries.

After Brexit, and because of his retirement, the client was advised that he would not have the option of naturalisation as a British citizen because he did not fulfil the immigration rules, which caused further anxiety.

Kulsum allayed the client’s fears; using her knowledge and experience of the immigration rules - in particular Appendix EU and the British Nationality Act 1981 – she confirmed that he did in fact meet the requirements to apply for naturalisation to become British.

His application was submitted to the Home Office and some months later they confirmed that he had been successfully granted British citizenship. He is currently in the process of applying for his first British passport.

He said: "After enquiring at several solicitors’ offices, I immediately felt confident when speaking with HCR solicitors. Kulsum and her colleagues took care of the whole process, keeping me informed at every stage what was happening.

“It can be a long and complicated process and I was nervous to try the application on my own. It was reassuring to know my application was in such good hands. Kulsum is totally professional yet approachable and I cannot recommend HCR enough."

Like every other worker in 2020, the volunteer advisers of the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) have been through the wringer with the trials of isolation and remote working. But as a 20,000 strong network of unpaid workers who give their spare time willingly, often around other jobs, the effects often feel more severe.

Earlier this year the CAB, via a volunteer, approached Harrison Clark Rickerbys for assistance in supporting staff.

Advisers and staff overwhelmingly wanted a webinar in employment law and Heidi Cooper, an employment and immigration solicitor, stepped up to the plate to deliver online training for all CAB staff in Hereford and Worcester.

She said: “The Citizens Advice Bureau provide an extremely valuable service, supporting those who often don’t know where to turn for advice. With the strain of Covid-19 on many people’s jobs, the volunteers were receiving more employment questions than ever before, and in a complex and evolving area of law, it is important to stay up to date.

“I was more than happy to give a little time to those who give a lot and I am looking forward to running another session for them (specifically on redundancy) in September/October time, towards the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, when redundancies will, sadly, be very relevant.”

And according to Gwen Fraser, Volunteer Operations and Training Manager for CAB, who acknowledged that “at this time, it is more important than ever for us to be able to respond to our volunteers' wants and needs”, Heidi’s input was exactly the tonic required:

“Heidi delivered that webinar in spades yesterday. She is so incredibly enthusiastic about her role and her sheer delight in her chosen area of law was like a breath of fresh air to all of us struggling with trying to fathom out how to advise our clients facing redundancies, discrimination, apparently unfair practices and the fallout from the pandemic. An extremely complex area of law!

Her presentation slides were excellent, to the point and pitched at just the right level for advisers with no legal background. She spoke fluently and knowledgeably and gave thorough and detailed answers to questions from the group at exactly the right level for the educated layman.

I have been overwhelmed with positive feedback from the attendees, including one from a professional online trainer saying it was one of the best online sessions they had ever been on, alongside other comments about the training being 'useful', 'brilliant' and 'extremely helpful'. It was a thoroughly professional and useful session delivered in such a friendly and engaging manner that I hope you will allow Heidi to do another session for us soon.”

 

Rachel Parkin recently helped a school with the smooth exit of two senior members of staff. She negotiated terms for the amicable departure of its Headteacher. She also defended the school and chair of governors against claims threatened by another senior member of staff (who had been dismissed) and ultimately reached a resolution.

Rachel’s point of contact at the school said afterwards: “Many thanks for your help with all of this. You are such a good lawyer – apart from the law bit, your mix of professionalism, pragmatism and approachability is so reassuring!”

When a senior director found herself struggling with severe mental health issues, caused by a damaging workplace culture, she turned to Ellis Jessica Walby for professional advice. Ellis supported and strategically advised this director, successfully negotiating a favourable exit package which afforded the director a solid financial safety net to recuperate without needing to source a new role during her recovery.

The director said: “Ellis has been brilliant - very clear, and extremely kind, as well as superbly effective at getting an outcome for me that supports my wellbeing - after a horrible few months.”

For one partner in a professional firm, whose fellow partners attempted to expel them based on unfounded allegations of misconduct, Chris Mayers’ help was a lifeline.

After he had quickly established that the allegations were largely unsubstantiated, he was able to negotiate a considerable settlement.

The partner was able to leave and set up their own business.

The client described Chris as “a godsend on a professional and personal level at one of the most intensely stressful moment of my life.”

The client added: “When I woke up one morning to find myself in a distressing work-related situation, I was blind-sided. I had so many different concerns, questions and emotions to deal with that I wasn’t able to think clearly at that moment. I did realise, however, that I needed professional advice from someone who knew the relevant law and could think clearly for me, speak and battle on my behalf.

“A friend put me in touch with Chris and it was a turning point. Chris is not only excellent on a professional level, but he relates to his clients in a way that makes all the difference. He is clear and pragmatic in his advice, and strikes the right balance between going on the offensive against the other party and [knowing] when to compromise. He enabled me to turn the corner and walk into a better professional life, and I’m grateful.”

Sandeep Dattani’s expertise helped an Australian woman to become a British citizen and his extensive experience of the immigration rules meant that she could visit her father, suffering from Alzheimer’s at home in Australia, while the process went through.

She was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK but before that had overstayed her visa period, so the situation was more complex than normal. She also needed to be able to visit her father and spend time with him during the application process, which can take up to six months – something another law firm had told her would not be possible.

But Sandeep reassured her, and kept in touch with her while she was with her father; her application was successful and she is now applying for her first British passport.

She said: “Not only was he exceptionally thorough and attentive, Sandeep remained incredibly understanding and supportive through the duration of the application.

“My appreciation of his professionalism, not to mention his kindness, is unquantifiable. You are in the finest and most capable hands if you are fortunate enough to be represented by Sandeep Dattani.”

When a mother was made redundant from a job that she had held for well over a decade, as a result of the economic impact of Covid-19, she came to Ellis Jessica Walby for employment law expertise and support to help guide her through the settlement process.

Ellis successfully negotiated enhanced settlement terms for her and oversaw the finalisation of a legally binding agreement that provided her with peace of mind – as well as the financial package to which she was entitled.

The client said afterwards: “Fabulous news, thank you again for all your support on this matter. It really is very much appreciated. You have been a breath of fresh air through this process, so thank you again.”

Sandeep Dattani’s expert advice meant that a family was able to stay together, even though the wife needed to apply for a spouse visa, which usually has to be done from outside the UK.

She was here on a visitor visa, but Home Office rules dictate that she could not simply switch to a spouse visa without going back to her country of origin. She and her husband have an 11 year-old son who is British, and Sandeep advised them to apply for further leave to remain from within the UK, stressing the human rights aspect of their case and making their child’s need paramount.

Without this support and help, the wife would have to return to South Korea for at least three months and quite possibly longer, while the application was processed, separating her from her son.

Sandeep processed the application and followed it through; within five weeks, the application had been approved.

The client said: “I am truly humbled by Sandeep Dattani’s knowledge of the law, his dedication to the case, and his attention to detail, leaving no room for error during every stage of my wife’s visa application. Myself, my wife, and our son are truly and eternally grateful to Sandeep for guiding us through, and mostly for the outcome of the application that we could never have achieved successfully alone.”

Wanting the best advice when renewing a spouse visa, Daniel Foulkes from Cheltenham came to Sandeep Dattani for expert help with the complicated process.

Mr Foulkes said: “My wife and I were in two minds as to whether or not to use an agent to help with the application, but based on the complexity of the form and the sometimes impossible questions to answer, we decided to go with Harrison Clark Rickerbys.”

He added: “Mr Dattani was extremely experienced, friendly and professional. The fact that we had a successful decision from the Home Office…is largely due to the care and attention given by Mr Dattani and his team. I would recommend HCR for anyone looking for an agent to handle their affairs with respect to all visa applications.”

When a mother was made redundant from a job role she truly enjoyed, which regrettably followed an already challenging year for her personally, she knew that she needed calm, responsive, employment law expertise to help guide her through the settlement process.

Ellis, Cheltenham solicitor successfully negotiated improved settlement terms for her and oversaw the finalisation of a binding agreement that gave her peace of mind – as well as the financial package she was entitled to.

Once settlement had been agreed, she said: “Thank you so much for your prompt and seamless assistance with my requirements. It has been great to work with you. Many thanks.”

The relationship with us goes back a long way, and the service HCR provides in the more ‘traditional’ areas such as employment and education remains first-rate. But what has been especially pleasing is the way that, as our ambitions and vision have broadened, so too has HCR’s ability to support us on our journey. Of course I’m thinking in particular about our international plans and discussions – it’s no exaggeration to say that we couldn't have come as far as we have without your tremendous support, expertise and sage advice.

As you know, we still have a long way to go, but the guidance and service you’ve provided so far has been fantastically positive and we are very grateful to you. Thanks.

An Independent School client

I was looking around for a good employment lawyer and Jenny Okafor-Jones at HCR Law was personally recommended to me by a colleague.   She was absolutely fantastic – she saw me almost immediately, explained my rights to me clearly and concisely, kept me up to date on progress and as soon as there was anything to tell me she got in touch and within a few weeks it was all sorted. She did everything that she had promised to do and got me the outcome I wanted.  I have no hesitation in recommending Jenny and the team at HCR.  Without them, I do not know what would have happened to me.

Sharon Moore, local government director