A contract that ran from Easter to the end of September, a manager who stopped answering messages in October, and a final payslip with no holiday pay on it: that is how a good many employment cases in Brighton & Hove begin. Tourism and hospitality employ a large slice of the city, from the seafront bars and hotels to the language schools and conference venues, and the problems are the ones seasonal work always produces: zero-hours arrangements that quietly became full-time, tips that were never fairly shared, dismissals timed for the end of the season.
The other half of the city's employment work looks quite different. Brighton & Hove has a dense cluster of digital and creative businesses, and small agencies and software companies bring questions about restrictive covenants, unpaid commission, founders falling out and staff who were called contractors until the day they were let go. The two universities, the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the city council and the large financial services offices in Brighton and Hove add the public-sector and corporate staples: discrimination, long-term sickness, whistleblowing and restructuring. Discrimination claims brought by LGBTQ+ employees are a familiar part of local practice.
Claims are heard at the employment tribunal's Brighton hearing centre once Acas early conciliation has run its course, and the clock is short: three months less one day from the dismissal or the act complained of. A settlement agreement only binds once an independent adviser has signed it, and the employer usually pays part of that adviser's fee.
Most Brighton & Hove firms offer a free first conversation, fixed fees for settlement agreements and contract reviews, and hourly rates for a contested claim; legal expenses cover on a home insurance policy is worth checking first.
The employment firms below serve Brighton & Hove, verified firms first and then by distance. Read what employment law covers, the general guide to employment law solicitors and, if you employ staff, the business law solicitors in Brighton & Hove page.
