“…[S]ome areas of employment law can, however regrettably, involve real complication, both procedural and substantial; and even the most wary can on occasion stumble into a legal bear-trap.” – Lord Justice Underhill
From clients to cases, advisory work to litigation and everything in between, employment lawyers are often called upon to plug the gap as it were. The everyday for most involves the workplace, be that in going to work or managing others or even your own business. Although employment law is hugely rewarding, it can also be tricky to navigate, difficult to understand and hard to keep pace with. Relatively speaking, the law develops at lightning speed. Whilst our commercial and civil law counterparts benefit from vast resources and numerous networking events, we feel there are few safe havens or targeted training schemes for employment lawyers in which people can be fundamentally open and frank about the law.
This is why junior barristers at St Philips Chambers have formed the Junior Employment Group (JEG). In a post-pandemic world, we want to bring employment lawyers together and offer pragmatic support through seminars, presentations, and more light-hearted events.
The idea
The fundamental idea is this: a series of events in which there is active discussion and participation from not only barristers giving talks but also open dialogue with attendees. These events will focus on how to offer the best service to clients while looking at the most practical and efficient ways to approach litigation. This is an exercise steeped in experience, we want to share insights around common pitfalls that have arisen in our own experience and learn from others as well; in the series of upcoming events planned for JEG you can be safe in the knowledge that there is no silly or stupid question. Indeed, it is more often a sign of knowledge, knowing what you do not know rather than setting out what you do.
We embrace lawyers from diverse backgrounds, including the charity sector, civil service, healthcare and more. We hope, as a consequence, we will be able to provide valuable tips along the way on how to tackle the different scenarios that crop up in specific sectors.
What is more, the St Philips employment team is growing each year as Chambers recruits specialist employment law tenants and pupils. By having one of the largest employment teams in the country, we strive to put lawyers in touch with barristers of all seniority (junior and senior) and make the most of the lively and thriving professional legal scene in the Midlands and Yorkshire.
The purpose
So, with the idea in place, what is the purpose of JEG? We want this forum to foster and cement relationships amongst employment lawyers as we all continue to improve our knowledge and refine our skills, be they client care, drafting or conducting hearings.
Achieving this
JEG will be providing employment lawyers with publications and training sessions drawing on our collective experiences from practising at the Bar.
This is starting with JEG’s official launch at our Birmingham base on the evening of 11 May 2023 where, along with food and drink, we will share more about our vision for the future and how we intend to put the above into practice. This event is being run free of charge for attendees and we look forward to welcoming you to Chambers.
