Unfair Dismissal Solicitor London Advice & Tribunal Claims
A fair dismissal needs two things: a fair reason and a fair process. If your employer had neither, or only one, your dismissal may be unfair and you may be entitled to compensation. The law only accepts certain reasons as fair. But even if the reason is valid, the way your employer handled it still matters. A bad process can turn a fair dismissal into an unfair one.
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IF YOU'VE JUST BEEN LET GO..
With Unfair Dismissal, the Clock Is Already Running
In most cases, you have three months less one day from the date your employment ended to start a claim. Before you can go to the tribunal, you must notify ACAS and go through Early Conciliation, which pauses the clock while it runs. Late claims are rarely accepted, so this is not something to leave until the last minute.
Getting advice early does more than protect the deadline. It helps you preserve evidence while you still have access to it, get the facts straight, and keep the door open for sensible negotiation before positions harden.
David will give you a quick, honest view: whether your dismissal looks unfair, what a claim could realistically be worth, and how he would approach it. Not a lecture. Not a long list of possibilities. A clear picture, so you can decide what to do.
35 Years Standing Up for People Who Have Been Dismissed
Losing your job like this rarely feels like just a legal issue. It affects your income, your confidence, and your sense of what comes next, often all at once. David Greenhalgh has spent 35 years helping people through exactly that moment, from employees dismissed without a proper hearing to senior executives negotiating six-figure exits.
From the first conversation, he will give you straight answers: whether the fight is worth having, what a realistic outcome looks like, and what the next move should be. Whether you are in London, the South East or further afield, the aim is the same: a clear plan, a sensible strategy, and the strongest outcome the facts support.
The first thing most people want to know is whether they actually have a claim. I will give you a straight answer on that, and on what it is realistically worth, before you commit to anything.
Unfair Dismissal Outcomes David Works Towards
A Straight Answer on Your Claim
Before anything else, you get a clear assessment of whether your dismissal was unfair and what the claim is realistically worth.
Maximum Compensation
A basic award based on your age and service, plus a full compensatory award for your actual losses: lost salary, benefits, pension and future earnings. David argues the full value rather than accepting a low offer.
A Negotiated Exit Before Tribunal
Most cases settle. David negotiates settlements that reflect the real strength of your case, usually faster and less stressful than going to a hearing.
Reinstatement or Re-engagement
If you want your job back, the tribunal can order it. David will tell you honestly whether that is realistic or whether compensation would serve you better.
Notice Pay Recovered
If you did not receive the notice or notice pay you were owed, David can pursue a wrongful dismissal claim alongside the unfair dismissal claim.
Combined Discrimination Claims
If discrimination was involved, those claims can run alongside unfair dismissal. Compensation for injury to feelings is uncapped and can significantly increase the value of the case.
An Agreed Reference
David can negotiate a fair reference and non-disparagement terms into any settlement to protect your reputation going forward.
Representation Through to a Hearing
If a fair settlement is not possible, David will represent you through to the final tribunal hearing.
Recent Unfair Dismissal Outcomes
Case studies are anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Past outcomes are not a guarantee of future results.
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Speak to David's team directly
If your three-month deadline is close, a call is the quickest way to get answers.
020 3603 2177- Confidential same-day review of your dismissal
- Fee options can be discussed directly with David once he understands your situation
From First Call to Resolution
Initial call
David finds out what happened and how close your deadline is. Response within hours.
Response within hoursReview and advice
David assesses whether your dismissal was unfair, how strong the claim is, and what it is worth.
Same dayACAS and claim
Starting Early Conciliation and, if needed, preparing your tribunal claim.
DaysResolution
A negotiated settlement or full representation through to a tribunal hearing, always with your finances and future in mind.
ResolvedWhat Clients Say About Working with David
David was very good and made it very easy for me to understand. My case was handled with professionalism and responding to me on time was excellent. Would definitely recommend his company
Was recommended. Fantastic help and advice, always responded in a timely manner and supported and advised during a difficult time. Thank you!
Outstanding from start to finish. Extremely responsive and dedicated to providing personalised, thoughtful counsel tailored to my needs. David’s approach ensured clarity and a shared understanding throughout. Always candid and forthright, I felt confident I was receiving expert, high-quality, well-considered advice. Highest recommendation!
I have worked with David for many many years and have recommended him to many senior executives needing advice on their settlement agreements. The best employment lawyer in London, I choose him every single time and can't recommend him enough.
Unfair Dismissal, Answered
The questions David is asked most often before clients pick up the phone.
View full FAQ →A dismissal is unfair if your employer did not have a fair reason, did not follow a fair process, or both. The law recognises certain potentially fair reasons, mainly conduct, capability or performance, redundancy, a legal restriction that prevents you doing the job, and some other substantial reason.
Even with a fair reason, a dismissal can still be unfair if it was handled unreasonably, for example with no proper investigation, no hearing, or no right of appeal.
Some dismissals are automatically unfair whatever your length of service, including those linked to whistleblowing, pregnancy or maternity, or trade union activity.
For an ordinary unfair dismissal claim, you currently need two years’ continuous service. From 1 January 2027, that drops to six months, so many more people will be able to claim.
There is no minimum service at all for automatically unfair dismissals, such as those connected to whistleblowing, pregnancy, or asserting a legal right. Those protections apply from day one.
In most cases, you have three months less one day from the date your employment ended.
Before you can go to the tribunal, you must notify ACAS and go through Early Conciliation first, which pauses the clock while it runs. Tribunals very rarely allow late claims, so take advice straight away rather than leaving it.
Unfair dismissal compensation has two parts: a basic award and a compensatory award.
The basic award is based on your age, length of service and weekly pay. The compensatory award covers your actual losses, including lost earnings, benefits and pension.
It is currently capped at the lower of a year’s gross pay or £123,543, though that cap is being removed for ordinary unfair dismissal from 1 January 2027.
Where your dismissal also involved discrimination, compensation for injury to feelings is uncapped, which can change the picture significantly.
Constructive dismissal is where you resign because your employer has seriously breached your contract or made your position untenable. That might mean a major change to your role, unpaid wages, or a sustained failure to deal with how you were being treated.
In law, it is treated as a dismissal, so you can bring a constructive dismissal claim as part of an unfair dismissal claim even though you were the one who resigned.
These claims can be harder to prove. Take advice before you hand in your notice, not after.
Unfair dismissal is about whether your employer had a fair reason and followed a fair process.
Wrongful dismissal is different and simpler. It is a breach of contract claim, usually where you were not given the notice or notice pay you were owed.
The two often go together, and where both apply David can pursue them alongside each other.