Real Employment Law Advice

General information

What is Real Employment Law Advice?

Real Employment Law Advice is an innovative and new legal advice service for anyone who has problems at work including employees and employers.

It is not just about the law but about helping you to deal with the mental, emotional and physical aspects of resolving problems at work.

Things don’t need to have escalated into a full claim in the Employment Tribunal in order to seek advice and assistance, and in fact I encourage you to get help at an early stage. Often matters can be resolved quickly and fairly painlessly if caught early enough.

Who provides the Advice?

My name is Alison Colley and I am a qualified Solicitor who has specialised in providing Employment Law advice to employees and employers for over 7 years.

You can find out more about me at www.alisoncolley.co.uk

Why I started Real Employment Law Advice?

It may sound cheesy but I decided to become a lawyer because I had a genuine desire to help people. I wanted to help those who had been treated badly to use the law to get some redress for what happened to them. I was inspired by the desire to use my training and knowledge of the law to help people just like I would help my family and friends.

When I first completed my training most of the work I carried out was funded by legal aid and during this time I was proud to give advice to a wide range people and to make a difference to their lives. Slowly the provision of legal aid has been eroded and you will struggle to find a legal aid lawyer locally who can help with employment problems.

Over the last 7 years I have worked for some great employees and employers and truly enjoy the work that I do, but over the last couple of years’ I have felt constrained by profit margins, billing targets and performance indicators. More and more genuinely good people have been left to their own devices or forced to abandon their cases because they cannot afford to proceed with legal advice. Over time I have become frustrated with the direction that I have been forced to take as Solicitor. I recognise that Solicitors Firms are not charities and they want to make money and because of this the focus has shifted considerably from advising employees and small business owners to seeking high paying work from large corporate Employers.

I realised that I am not fulfilled personally or professionally with the work that I have been doing and the direction my career is taking. There is, in my opinion, more to life and I want to practice law in my own way.

After much frustration I finally had my eureka moment and have decided that the best way that I can fulfil my ambition to provide high quality, reasonably priced advice to employees and employers is to set up my own unique practice. This way I have the power to operate the business how I want to, with my own ethos and values.

I also realised that I was spending long hours away from my family and friends doing something that I had no passion for. I wanted to take back some control and bring my work/life balance back into balance. Life is short and I want to make a difference.

I believe that Real Employment Law Advice is a unique offering that is truly needed in the legal services market at this time, and that my service will make a difference when people run into problems at work.

How can Real Employment Law Advice help you?

I have created and will continue to create lots of great free content and helpful information on the website as well as a number of ‘do it yourself’ guides. I also provide free initial telephone advice with no obligation.

If you instruct me to help you I will provide great advice in an easy to understand format with a realistic assessment of your case. All costs are completely transparent from the outset and you are kept updated throughout.

How much will it cost?

My hourly rate is £60, and the work that I undertake for you is charged in units of 6 minutes. I will not be charging VAT at this time.

Depending upon your type of case or requirements we can discuss fixed fees for the work that is required, this way you can be sure of what your outlay will be from the outset. If this is not available for your case then I will provide you with a full costs estimate from the outset for the work that we envisage is necessary.

If you require advice about a Settlement Agreement the standard fee is £200, this is however normally paid by your employer. If your employer will not make a contribution to your legal costs then please contact me and we can discuss the work that is required.

What makes Real Employment Law Advice any different from my traditional Solicitor?

1. Technology to communicate

I utilise all new communication methods to ensure ease of access and convenience for clients. This enables me to be available when you need advice and by using services such as Skype I am able to keep costs down for you.

2. No set opening hours

I believe that it is crucial that I am available to assist you when you need it, rather than waiting for the traditional 9-5. I will work around you and be on hand to assist when needed.

3. Limit to client numbers

It is important when helping you through a stressful time that I am able to give your case the necessary time and energy so you don’t have to. I recognise that this cannot be done if I have a large case load and therefore I limit the number of cases that I am dealing with at any one time.

4. Cost

Because I am able to utilise technology, and keep my overheads low I am able to keep the cost to you low, at just £60 per hour.