Question 1

What is the employment tribunal helpline?

Accepted Answer

The employment tribunal helpline is a fast-track advice line for UK employers who have received (or expect to receive) an employment tribunal claim. Calls are answered by employment solicitors who defend tribunal claims full time, not general HR advisors. If ACAS have been in touch, if an ET1 has been served, or if the hearing is looming, the tribunal helpline gets you in front of the right specialist the same working day.

Question 2

How long do I have to respond to an employment tribunal claim?

Accepted Answer

You have 28 days from the date the ET1 claim is sent to you (usually by the tribunal, not the claimant) to file your ET3 response. Missing that deadline is catastrophic because the tribunal can enter default judgment, meaning you lose the case without a hearing and are only left arguing about remedy. If the deadline is close, ring the employment tribunal helpline the same day; we can usually draft and file a defensible ET3 inside 48 hours.

Question 3

Should I settle or defend a tribunal claim?

Accepted Answer

The employment tribunal helpline will give you an honest assessment on the first call. Around 70–80% of tribunal claims settle before hearing, often because the commercial cost of defending (management time, legal fees, reputational risk) exceeds the settlement figure. But some claims should be fought, because the facts are on your side, because settling would encourage further claims, or because the demand is unreasonable. The right answer depends on your case, your appetite for risk and the claimant's likely conduct.

Question 4

What is ACAS early conciliation and is it compulsory?

Accepted Answer

ACAS early conciliation is a compulsory step: an employee must contact ACAS before they can lodge most types of tribunal claim. ACAS then tries to broker a settlement, giving you a valuable early window to resolve matters cheaply. The employment tribunal helpline can advise on tone, tactics and settlement figures, and can conduct the ACAS conversations on your behalf if you'd rather not deal with the claimant directly. Getting this stage right often avoids a claim altogether.

Question 5

How much does tribunal defence cost?

Accepted Answer

Defending an employment tribunal claim typically costs between £3,000 and £25,000 in legal fees depending on complexity, number of witnesses, discrimination allegations and length of hearing. The employment tribunal helpline consultation itself is free. We offer fixed fees for defined stages (ET3 drafting, preliminary hearings, ACAS conciliation) so you know the cost up front, and we'll flag when settlement is commercially cheaper than defence.

Question 6

What's your employment tribunal success rate?

Accepted Answer

Our employment tribunal success rate is 98%, measured across cases either won at hearing, struck out, or settled on terms our clients rated as acceptable. Most claims we handle settle before hearing on favourable terms because our ET3 responses are drafted to make the weaknesses in the claimant's case obvious from day one. When cases do go to hearing, our solicitors have a full appellate practice up to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Question 7

What is employment tribunal helpline under UK law?

Accepted Answer

Employment Tribunal Helpline is a defined concept under UK employment law that affects how employers manage their workforce day-to-day. In plain English, employment tribunal helpline refers to the legal framework, rights and obligations that apply when an employer and employee deal with the matter at hand. Under UK law, getting employment tribunal helpline right means following the relevant statute (most commonly the Employment Rights Act 1996 or the Equality Act 2010), the ACAS Code of Practice where applicable, and any contractual terms that already apply between the parties. For UK employers, the practical importance of employment tribunal helpline is that mistakes are rarely about substance, they are almost always about process. Tribunals look at what you did, when you did it and whether you gave the employee a fair opportunity to respond. If you are unsure how employment tribunal helpline applies to your specific situation, speak to a qualified HR advisor before acting.

Question 8

How does employment tribunal helpline work for UK employers?

Accepted Answer

Employment Tribunal Helpline works through a combination of statutory rights, the employment contract and reasonable employer behaviour. Under UK employment law, the employer typically carries the duty to act fairly, document decisions and consult with the employee before any change that materially affects their terms or status. In practice, employers should: (1) check whether the matter is covered by the contract or handbook; (2) confirm whether the Employment Rights Act 1996 or related legislation imposes a specific process; (3) follow the ACAS Code where it applies; and (4) record decisions in writing with a clear rationale. Failure to follow process is the single most common reason employers lose Employment Tribunal claims about employment tribunal helpline. Our HR advisors handle employment tribunal helpline for UK businesses every week, get in touch for guidance tailored to your situation.

Stage	What it involves	Typical timing
ACAS early conciliation	Free, confidential negotiation before a claim can be issued	Up to 6 weeks
ET1 claim form	The claimant sets out the claims and facts	Within 3 months less one day of the act complained of
ET3 response	Your grounds of resistance, drafted carefully as it binds your case	28 days from the date the ET1 is sent
Case management	Preliminary hearing, list of issues, directions and timetable	1 to 4 months after the ET3
Disclosure and witness statements	Exchange of documents and evidence	Set by the directions order
Final hearing	Evidence, cross-examination, judgment or reserved judgment	9 to 18 months from issue

Employment Tribunal Helpline for UK Employers

Accreditations & memberships

Answer 6 quick questions

What stage is the claim at?

Defending an employment tribunal claim: what happens and when

The stages of a claim

The first 48 hours after a claim arrives

Defend or settle?

Employment Tribunal Helpline FAQs

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Employer Helpline

Employment Law Helpline

Redundancy Helpline