A REVAMPED service provided by employment law solicitors is proving a hit with clients.
Paul Doran Law has offices in Gateshead, Belfast, Leeds and London and was established by Paul in 2013. The company specialises in acting for employees and claimants who find themselves in dispute with their employers.
To make it easier for clients to launch a case against their employees, the company has launched an improved Pre-Action Letter service.
Paul Doran Law Associate Chris Henshall, who runs the company’s Gateshead office, explained: “This improved service is for employees who have a grievance against their employer, but aren’t sure what to do and are worried about the costs involved.
“It often feels a bit like David versus Goliath with workers feeling intimidated by legal procedures and how much getting legal redress may cost.
“This service makes legal action against an employer more affordable and is proving popular from our Tyneside office and at our other offices. It can help to avoid the extra expense involved in litigation, and can also avoid the pitfalls and stresses of going to court.
“The Pre-Action letter is a firm attempt to avoid further costs and gives the employer an opportunity to save on time and costs too. The alternative can be expensive, long-drawn out legal proceedings which benefit no-one and can take months or even years to resolve.
“Our letters are an attempt, without prejudice, to get a resolution before getting the courts or tribunals involved.”
Paul added: “We’re up front about the costs of the letter so the client knows exactly what it’s going to cost them and what service they’re going to get for their money.”
Originally from Belfast, Paul qualified as a solicitor in 2008 after studying at the University of Ulster and Northumbria University, and having trained at Stefan Cross Solicitors in Newcastle, where he previously worked as a paralegal.
After qualification, he was appointed as Head of Employment Law at the company and successfully acted for thousands of clients who were pursuing equal pay claims against more than 50 local authority employers. This resulted in millions of pounds in payments to his clients including the high profile claims against Birmingham City Council which saw compensation payments nudging towards £1 billion.
As well as equal pay, Paul successfully acted for a range of clients in other areas of employment law. These included unfair dismissal and a range of discrimination matters including sex, race and sexual orientation.
In December 2012, he left Stefan Cross Solicitors to return to Belfast where he worked for an established Northern Ireland firm before setting up Paul Doran Law in November 2013.
Paul continues to specialise in equal pay as well as acting for clients in a range of employment law matters.
He opened his Gateshead branch in Hypoint, Saltmeadows Road, five years ago.
“I was looking to expand the company and obviously knew Tyneside well – I lived there for eight years while studying and working, so it was a natural choice,” he said.
For more information on the company’s Pre-Action Letter, or the other services they provide, go to www.pauldoranlaw.com or ring the freephone number 0808-1687288.
Hypoint is owned by business centre experts HyHubs, who also own Haylofts in Haymarket, Newcastle and Hoults Yard, Byker. For more information, go to www.hyhubs.com