Newcastle employment lawyers providing expert advice on all matters of employment, unfair dismissal and restraint of trade.
You can count on Butlers Business Employment Lawyers for expert legal advice and representation across all categories of employment law, including unfair dismissal, restraint of trade and employment contracts.
Our experienced employment solicitors assist both employers and employees in Newcastle, the Hunter and NSW. We guide you through the legal framework applicable to employment relationships to provide innovative and practical solutions for your employment disputes.
What is Employment Law
Employment law is a system of rules that regulates the conduct between employers, employees, contractors and volunteers. These rules which provide a range of workplace rights and obligation covered largely by the Fair Work Act, but can also be set out in awards, registered agreements and employment contracts.
Many employees face a range of employment law issues such as disputes over unfair dismissal, termination of employment, discrimination and harassment, restraint of trade and insurance claims.
It is important employers are aware of their obligations and have prepared enforceable employment contracts to ensure they are protecting their business and upholding these obligations.
Why should you come to us as your employment lawyers?
The solicitors at Butlers Business Lawyers provide expert legal advice and can act as your representative through all stages of the employment relationship. That means it’s never too early to come to us, whether you’re a new business seeking professionally drafted employment contracts to protect your business from litigation or need expert defence against an unfair dismissal suit. As employment lawyers, we handle a range of employment law matters.
How can our employment lawyers help?
Whether you need advice, employment contracts and legal materials drafted by professionals, or legal representation across a range of issues, our experienced team of solicitors can help you through every aspect of employment law, such as:
- Employment agreements
- Making unfair dismissal claims
- Defending unfair dismissal claims
- Negotiating enterprise agreements
- Enterprise agreement approval
- Redundancy
- Terminating employees
- Restraints of trade
- Discrimination and unlawful termination
- Award interpretation and application
- Fair Work Commission proceeding
- Employment disputes
We know that terminating employment can be a stressful time for everyone involved. That is why our experienced team has put together a Termination of Employment eBook to help ensure all parties, employer and employee, are aware of their rights and obligations during this process.
Employment Law FAQs
Whether you are an employer or employee, it can be a good idea to work with an employment lawyer to ensure you are protected from a variety of issues that often arise in the employment space. This can include health and safety, workers compensation, discrimination, employee entitlements, or unfair dismissal concerns.
Yes, we can! Whether you are an employer or an employee, Butlers Business Lawyers can review your employment contract to ensure that it protects your interests. We can also draft an employment contract from scratch. This might be a good option for you if you are a new employer, or if you are looking to update your existing employment contracts to meet new Fair Work requirements.
Different employment claims have different limitation periods. A claim for unfair dismissal must be brought within 21 days from the date of dismissal. Other claims have longer time frames, but these vary depending on the precise cause of action. Some claims have as long as a 6-year limitation period. It is always a good idea to contact an employment lawyer to help you assess your options.
Before deciding to manage an employment claim without legal advice, consider the potential gain or loss you might be facing. While you can manage an employment claim yourself, you might not recover as much as you are entitled to, or you might be ordered to pay more damages than you otherwise would. We recommend engaging an employment lawyer if you are not expertly acquainted with your legal obligations, rights, and entitlements.
You will first be assigned to one of our employment law experts, who will listen to your concerns and help you work through your options. We will prepare some preliminary advice for you, where we will outline your rights and obligations, and help you understand your next steps. Depending on your unique circumstances, we will tell you what you may be able to claim compensation for, how much compensation you may be entitled to, how best to protect yourself against future claims, or how to mitigate financial loss. If needed, we can also manage dispute resolution and court proceedings.
COVID-19 Employment Law Changes
With government issued restrictions reducing trade and forcing businesses to shut their doors, it is essential employers are aware of the current employment law framework. Employers should be aware of the legal protections available to employees when it comes to standing down, dismissing and making redundant employees.
Along with this, there have also been a number of changes made to the Fair Work Act with new provisions enabling employers to make a number of directions including the ability to temporarily stand down employees, unilaterally change employee duties and location of work and make changes to workdays or employee annual leave. These changes have been made in conjunction with the JobKeeper scheme for eligible employees.
In times like these, it is important employers have access to dependable legal advice to assist employers in fulfilling these employee obligations. Our expert team are able to help employers navigate these challenging times through:
- Advise on the legality of stand downs, dismissals and redundancies
- Advise on the eligibility of employees for the JobKeeper scheme
- Assist in adjusting to the new JobKeeper provisions
- Act in disputes in relation with JobKeeper provisions under the Fair Work Act
Testimonial
“We needed a new standard contract for our employees that complied with the relevant award conditions. We wanted a document that was short and easy to understand. Butlers drafted a standard agreement that we could use for our employees and advised on what we needed to do to comply with awards and employment legislation. The team took a practical approach and guided us through this complex area of law.”
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