The Diverse Law Firm www.clarkslegal.com
A unique partnership The partnership with Carillion Advice Services allows us to increase our resources substantially in an economically effective way. With this model I would expect to increase the total amount of work we do because the business case behind the concept is compelling and the model we have with Carillion is so scalable. I can't think of anybody in the country doing what we are doing. Michael Sippitt Chairman, Clarkslegal LLP This is about building on the strengths we already have in legal services to solve a problem faced by us and businesses like us. We have already proved that working in such a collaborative and integrated way with Clarkslegal also makes complete sense for both parties, and this venture now means that together we can offer a high quality, audit-tested and cost effective service to others. Richard Tapp Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services, Carillion plc
About the partnership To improve cost effectiveness for clients, Clarkslegal and Carillion Advice Services (CAS) have established an innovative service model of integrating paralegal professional support with Clarkslegal s national employment law practice and associated human resources consultancy Forbury People Ltd. This model enables Clarkslegal to outsource standard employment tribunal and project support to CAS, minimising the time spent by lawyers on routine functions and significantly reducing legal costs for clients. It is based on the process we have already implemented successfully for Carillion's own employment law work, across its workforce of more than 40,000 people worldwide. Through this model we can provide key employment law and HR services including: Day to day telephone helpline support Employment law & HR advice Employment tribunal and project support Legal research Online policies and template documentation Worker status audits and contract reviews The model has been adopted by numerous clients and key to its successful operation is the close working relationship between Clarkslegal solicitors and CAS paralegals, who are seconded to Clarkslegal as an extension of our employment team. Clarkslegal liaises closely with CAS from a managerial perspective, with a senior executive from CAS regularly based in and working from Clarkslegal s offices. The partnership works across the whole spectrum of professional employment law and HR services, from helpline and paralegal support, through to tribunal advocacy and specialised strategic advice. The venture is notably different from more common legal process outsourcing solutions, with CAS teams available for direct day to day client support where appropriate, as well as providing tribunal and project support to the Clarkslegal team. You can choose the combination of support best suited to your individual needs: Clarkslegal Legal advice CAS Paralegal helpline Forbury People HR support 2012
Flexible options Benefits Clear, commercial and practical advice to your business on current and future employment and HR issues Reduced litigation through sound advice and an informed assessment of risk Reduction in management time and legal spend and improved budget management We provide: A national team of paralegals, lawyers and HR consultants at your disposal, offering advice tailored to your business needs Answers to your day to day queries and help to identify where you need additional support from lawyers or HR consultants Blended rates offering you the option to pre-buy paralegal/lawyer/hr helpline hours at competitive rates or pay as you go HR review and planning tools that help you identify strengths and address any weaknesses in your HR processes and performance Access to a wide range of template documents for use in your own business via our Employmentbuddy website. These are regularly updated in line with the latest case law and changes in legislation Access to toolkits that will help you manage difficult and complex HR issues, from handling redundancy processes to managing flexible working requests An annual legal compliance review of employment contracts and common HR policies and procedures Regular employment law briefings that will bring you up-to-speed on changes to employment law and best practice Advice to support your strategic decisions regarding trade union and employee relations issues Attendance at and support for collective bargaining meetings and advice and guidance on union recognition claims Guidance on employee engagement, staff surveys and establishing employee forums Drafting and negotiating pre-claim compromise agreements or pre-claim ACAS COT3 settlements Tribunals and settlement support With increasing regulation, even the best run companies may face tribunal claims. Our tribunal support package gives you the practical back-up you need when facing employee disputes, including: Full support for employment tribunal claims, including a written assessment of prospects, all communication and negotiations with claimants or their representatives and representation at any hearing Settlement of tribunal proceedings via ACAS, compromise agreements, or judicial mediation Representation and support for central arbitration committee claims Fixed fee arrangements
Additional services The collaboration with CAS enables Clarkslegal to improve cost effectiveness for clients by increasing our support resources substantially - offering high quality, closely managed, audit-tested and cost effective services. However, the Clarkslegal and CAS collaboration extends beyond employment law and HR. Other legal services Contract law Commercial disputes/litigation Product liability Property Debt recovery Commercial contracts Commercial contract reviews Bulk document and data analysis Non disclosure agreement reviews Minor litigation Full review of claims forms and production of defence and merits reports Document disclosure Support on personal injury claims Data room activity Management of data room activity in relation to the purchase or sale of a business Due diligence reporting Redaction and uploading of information Preparatory support Legal research Document proofing Assisting with document management Preparing lists of documents for formal disclosure purposes
Our teams Clarkslegal LLP Clarkslegal s expertise in handling all employment matters for companies, from SMEs to large multinationals is, we believe, second to none. Consequently, our team continues to achieve top rankings in both the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories. We advise a range of employers (public, private and not for profit) and individuals across a broad range of industry sectors. We are frequently consulted by the CBI on employment law matters which presents regular opportunities for us to provide formal feedback to Government consultations. For the past decade we have represented the employer s delegation led by the CBI at the annual International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva. Our work covers the whole employment cycle: from recruitment, to performance and absence management, through to termination. We support clients through a range of issues from the simple to the most complex, including disciplinary and grievance processes, restructurings and redundancies. We help clients protect the integrity of their reputation and relationships with employees and others through training, advice and policy implementation on matters such as disability, retirement and related age issues, equal pay and sex or race discrimination. When things go wrong, we support a client right through to conducting the advocacy in any proceedings. Clarkslegal s innovative approach to solving complex cases is consistent; their quality standards are extremely high and their staff are efficient and friendly - overall 11/10! Carrol Douglas-Welsh - Head of Employee Relations, Scottish and Southern Energy Carillion Advice Services (CAS) CAS has an exceptional track record in high quality helpline and legal support services. Utilising our team of advisors based in Newcastle we provide up to 50,000 hours telephone based legal advice per year under our contract with the Legal Aid Agency (Legal Services Commission). CAS provides a range of managed legal services for Carillion s legal teams around the world. We provide fast -paced and accurate paralegal and commodity legal services. CAS prides itself on the quality of its work and holds the Law Society s Lexcel quality assurance mark. Together with Clarkslegal and Forbury People, our teams provide the full range of employment law services, including online service, helpline access, advice and advocacy, due diligence, audits, employee engagement, plus employment relations documentation and strategies. Carillion Advice Services have held a contract with the Legal Aid Agency (formally Legal Services Commission) to deliver specialist legal advice on behalf of the Civil Legal Advice (formally Community Legal Advice) since 2007. They have consistently met Key Performance Indicators through the life of the Contract and also achieved Peer Review scores of Competence Plus or Excellence for their work. CAS have worked with LAA to develop innovative methods of delivery of legal advice. Alex Ashcroft - Contract Development Manager, Legal Aid Agency
Our teams Forbury People Clarkslegal established Forbury People Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary, to extend our employment law offering to human resource support when required by clients. Forbury People consultants are accomplished professionals with many years of experience in human resources. Many have held senior positions in large organisations and multinational companies, while others have vast experience in providing long term consultancy or interim support to a wide range of organisations in both the private and public sectors. Our consultants work closely with our lawyers to deliver innovative, multidisciplinary solutions and manage projects smoothly. Forbury People provides us with good HR advice and support whenever we need it. It is good to be able to use Forbury People on a purely ad-hoc basis without the need of paying a retainer. We have a good relationship with a local consultant, but even if she is occasionally unavailable when we need help, Forbury People has the resources to provide a temporary alternative if required. Craig Palfrey, Penguin Wealth Employmentbuddy Employmentbuddy is Clarkslegal s online employment law resource. It is particularly useful in providing organisations with day to day employment law and providing HR managers with swift, practical support through its substantive collection of HR policies, guides, template documents and letters. Updated weekly, Employmentbuddy contains over 600 downloadable resources, along with useful applications, like reference guides to statutory rates and limits, cost-effective audits, a legislation and case tracker, and an HR compliance checklist. Access to these resources will save you significant time and cost, avoiding unnecessary legal expenditure. Employmentbuddy is also available as a mobile application for use on smart phones. Employmentbuddy is a fabulous tool. To have all this up to date information at the click of a button is superb. Karen Gough - HR Director, UK Construction, Carillion plc
The Diverse Law Firm Contact Clarkslegal LLP Graham Coleshill Client Relationship Manager Tel: 0118 958 5321 Email: gcoleshill@clarkslegal.com Offices: London, Reading, Cardiff www.clarkslegal.com Carillion Advice Services Rachel Lloyd Key Account Manager Tel: 0191 676 3037 Email: rachel.lloyd@carillionplc.com Offices: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Wolverhampton www.carillionplc.com Clarkslegal LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales. Registered Number: OC308349. Registered Office: One Forbury Square, The Forbury, Reading RG1 3EB. Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. References to Partners are to members of Clarkslegal LLP. Clarkslegal LLP is a member of the TAGLaw worldwide network of law firms. Forbury People Ltd is wholly owned by Clarkslegal LLP. Registered Number: 6251169. Registered Office: One Forbury Square, The Forbury, Reading RG1 3EB. Although it is not itself a law firm and does not, therefore, directly provide legal services, it has been set up and is operated in full accordance with the ethical and professional standards of Clarkslegal. Employmentbuddy is the online law resource and HR support service of Clarkslegal. Employmentbuddy is not a substitute for seeking legal advice. It is a reference tool for its members. Because of the constantly changing nature of employment law, no warranty can be given as to the accuracy of the general information on this site or its applicability to individual circumstances.