Disputes between employer and employee are usually dealt with by an Employment Tribunal (ET).

The case is decided by the ET at a public hearing (unless an application for a closed hearing due to matters confidential has been granted) and is heard by an ET judge and two lay members. The judge is a solicitor or a barrister and the lay members each represent management and trade unions respectively.

You do not need to be legally represented, although nowadays the complexity of employment law is such that most employers instruct solicitors as soon as they receive the claim, if not before. (more…)