Employment Tribunal Advice Please

Crazy_Jamie

Converse20 wrote: »

It does invite the Tribunal to agree with them over me in any doubt. Is that allowed?

Of course it is. It wouldn't be much of a skeleton argument if it suggested that the Tribunal should agree with you.

Undervalued

Crazy_Jamie wrote: »

Of course it is. It wouldn't be much of a skeleton argument if it suggested that the Tribunal should agree with you.

Indeed.

The last two posts really sum up why the OP needs professional advice.

Converse20

Undervalued wrote: »

Indeed.

The last two posts really sum up why the OP needs professional advice.

An extremely helpful comment.

Converse20

Crazy_Jamie wrote: »

Of course it is. It wouldn't be much of a skeleton argument if it suggested that the Tribunal should agree with you.

Obviously I don't expect that to be the case. If someone said to me in any situation 'if you are unsure I suggest that you agree with me' I would deem that person to be underhand.

Please do bear in mind when I ask questions, often they will seem stupid to you legal beagles, but that I am not legally trained and that this is all very new to me.

bugslet

Converse20 wrote: »

An extremely helpful comment.

Undervalued has given a lot of his/her time and made some very helpful suggestions.

Whilst that isn't particularly helpful given how close you are to going to the Tribunal, personally from my limited experience I feel it is correct.

I could have in theory defended myself and saved around 20 + k at mine, but am glad that I had legal help. Even having been prepared for how Tribunals go, it was still a confusing and daunting experience once there.

I really do take my hat off to you for the work you have put in and your understanding and wish you well.

Undervalued

Converse20 wrote: »

An extremely helpful comment.

I appreciate you are being sarcastic but I think it was a helpful comment, at least to anybody else who is reading the thread. An open forum such as this is for everybody's benefit and not a private means of getting questions answered.

The problem is that it is very, very difficult to stay detached and unemotional when progressing something like this on your own. Because of that people react or attach significance to points that are legally irrelevant. Inevitably lawyers acting for the other side will play on this to some extent as has probably happened here.

I an not saying it can't be done, it often is, and if you have a valid legal case then I genuinely wish you ever success.

Converse20

bugslet wrote: »

Undervalued has given a lot of his/her time and made some very helpful suggestions.

Whilst that isn't particularly helpful given how close you are to going to the Tribunal, personally from my limited experience I feel it is correct.

I could have in theory defended myself and saved around 20 + k at mine, but am glad that I had legal help. Even having been prepared for how Tribunals go, it was still a confusing and daunting experience once there.

I really do take my hat off to you for the work you have put in and your understanding and wish you well.

Oh and I'm absolutely petrified. Doubting my decision to defend myself, but there is very little that I can do now.

As it stands, I am fully prepared to defend myself. I have relevant case law to prove my points and also to argue theirs.

If it all goes wrong and I lose, lesson learned. I will still be proud to have got to this point and have found something that really does interest me and if that's all that comes from this then it is what it is.

I was dismissed because I made a PID. But in reality, the only person that knows that is my previous employer as they made the decision. It will be very difficult for me to prove in court but I am ready to try.

Again. Thanks to everyone for thier help. I wouldn't have got this far without this thread.

Converse20

Undervalued wrote: »

I appreciate you are being sarcastic but I think it was a helpful comment, at least to anybody else who is reading the thread. An open forum such as this is for everybody's benefit and not a private means of getting questions answered.

The problem is that it is very, very difficult to stay detached and unemotional when progressing something like this on your own. Because of that people react or attach significance to points that are legally irrelevant. Inevitably lawyers acting for the other side will play on this to some extent as has probably happened here.

I an not saying it can't be done, it often is, and if you have a valid legal case then I genuinely wish you ever success.

I take your points on board. Yes I was being sarcastic but I can see what you mean and why it probably is a very relevant comment.

Mersey_2

Converse20 wrote: »

Oh and I'm absolutely petrified. Doubting my decision to defend myself, but there is very little that I can do now.

It will be very difficult for me to prove in court but I am ready to try.

Again. Thanks to everyone for thier help. I wouldn't have got this far without this thread.

Incidentally, remember that you can take a friend with you if that helps with nerves. Whilst it's a bit late in the day to organise, you may even want to ask a McKenzie Friend to attend. Many university law faculties offer these (they are usually non-qualified ie not solicitors but many are paralegals, law students or retired lawyers). They can't usually act for you without permission, but they can assist by taking notes and helping you to find your place in the bundle and so on.


But the main point I wanted to leave you with: is remember that it's only a civil matter and so you only have to prove things on the balance of probabilities (ie 51%), so don't worry that you have to discharge a huge burden as in a criminal matter - and you certainly don't have to 'defend yourself' - although I realise you may feel you do emotionally.

Converse20

Mersey wrote: »

Incidentally, remember that you can take a friend with you if that helps with nerves. Whilst it's a bit late in the day to organise, you may even want to ask a McKenzie Friend to attend. Many university law faculties offer these (they are usually non-qualified ie not solicitors but many are paralegals, law students or retired lawyers). They can't usually act for you without permission, but they can assist by taking notes and helping you to find your place in the bundle and so on.


But the main point I wanted to leave you with: is remember that it's only a civil matter and so you only have to prove things on the balance of probabilities (ie 51%), so don't worry that you have to discharge a huge burden as in a criminal matter - and you certainly don't have to 'defend yourself' - although I realise you may feel you do emotionally.

Thankyou