Between the Festival of Speed in July and the Revival in September, the Goodwood estate takes on a small army of temporary staff, and the hotels, pubs and caterers of Chichester do the same for race week. Seasonal and event work is the first thing an employment solicitor in Chichester gets asked about: fixed-term contracts that end with the season, agency workers' rights, holiday pay that was never accrued properly, tips in the hospitality trade and the status of the self-employed stewards, drivers and chefs who turn out to have been workers all along.
Horticulture is the second. The glasshouses and nurseries of the coastal plain around Tangmere, Runcton and Sidlesham employ large seasonal workforces, many from abroad under sponsorship, and the issues are accommodation deductions, working time, the minimum wage, licensing of labour providers and dismissals at the end of a visa. Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and its supply chain bring manufacturing questions: shift patterns, agency conversion, redundancy consultation and the occasional discrimination claim.
The public sector completes the picture. West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council, St Richard's Hospital, the University of Chichester, Chichester College and the Festival Theatre produce restructuring, whistleblowing, disability and capability cases; the care homes that serve the district's older population produce dismissals for alleged misconduct that need careful handling.
Deadlines are the same everywhere: Acas early conciliation within three months less one day of the act complained of, with the tribunal claim soon after. West Sussex claims are listed by the tribunal's south-east region, frequently by video.
Chichester firms typically offer a free initial conversation, fixed fees for settlement agreements, contract reviews and handbooks, and hourly or conditional fee arrangements for claims.
Employment solicitors serving Chichester are listed below, verified firms first and then by distance. Read the general employment law solicitors guide and what employment law covers, see business law solicitors in Chichester for the employer's side, or try employment law solicitors in Portsmouth over the county line.
