Deborah Driscoll (Driscoll Solicitors)

Driscoll Solicitors specialise solely in employment law, so you can be confident that you are dealing with experts. 

We can provide you with legal advice on all aspects of employment law.  You might be puzzling about a redundancy selection process, grappling with TUPE or you might simply be worried about ending up in a tribunal.  We can help you through all these processes, providing you with up to date advice that is relevant to your business’s needs.

We can offer you a free initial telephone consultation.  Call us now on 01732 424149 or email us at: info@driscollsolicitors.com for a call back at a time convenient to you.      

PROFILE: Senior employment lawyer with extensive private practice experience with leading national trade unions and South East regional firms.

QUALIFICATIONS:  Qualified solicitor.  11 years Post Qualification Experience.

MEMBERSHIPS:  Member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

EMPLOYMENT

Driscoll Solicitors, 26 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Maidstone, ME19 4AE.  Tel: 01732 424149.   Managing Solicitor - 2012.  I provide businesses and individuals with advice and representation on Compromise agreements, Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, Employment Tribunal Claims, Discrimination and Equal Opportunities, Redundancy situations, Employment contracts and policies, Unfair Dismissal, TUPE Transfers of Undertakings, Restrictive covenants, Sickness absence, Holidays, Maternity and Paternity issues, Stress at work and Whistleblowing.

Kingsfords LLP, 5-7 Bank Street, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1BZ.  Tel: 01233 665544.  Sole Employment Solicitor in Civil Litigation Department - 2007 to 2011.  I provided advice and assistance to both employees and employers (mainly SMEs, but some larger companies) on a variety of contentious and non-contentious matters.  My main responsibilities included: negotiating compromise agreements and exit packages for junior and senior employees (including consideration of public sector redundancy and retirement schemes, ultra vires payments, director duties, taxation and pension issues); drafting employment contracts and policies; assisting with employers' redundancy selection processes, TUPE transfers and disciplinary or grievance matters; drafting ET1s and ET3s; making applications to the tribunal; providing advocacy at interim PHRs, CMDs (including telephone hearings) and final hearings; conducting tribunal cases personally up to and including remedy hearings; drafting and conducting appeals to the EAT; drafting witness statements and collating trial bundles; drafting skeleton arguments for PHR and final hearings; instructing Counsel and keeping abreast of developments in employment law. 

Edwards Duthie Solicitors, 292-294 Plashet Grove, East Ham, London, E6 1EE  Employment Solicitor - 2006.  Provision of in-house advice to members of RMT Union and TGWU.

SA Law, 60 London Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1NG  Assistant Employment Solicitor from 2005 to 2006.  Mainly Respondent work in liaison with the commercial department .   I was heavily involved in defending tribunal claims against employers, drafting their policies and contracts and advising on TUPE, redundancies and restrictive covenants to protect business interests.

Amicus (now the Unite Union), London.  Legal Officer - 2001 to 2005.  Legal Officers support and advise full-time officials, lay representatives and the National Executive Council on all aspects of employment and trade union law and undertake research in these areas.  I reported direct to the Director of Legal Services on a day-to-day basis.  The union had members in a variety of sectors including technicians and laboratory staff, not only in metalworking industries but also in chemicals, universities and the health service; managers, supervisors, and executives within the Post Office; workers in the U.K. offshore oil and gas industries; manufacturing and craft industries and the charity and voluntary sector.  I managed a portfolio of legal work including: contributing to the work and expertise of the union in employment and trade union law; drafting briefing notes and policy documents on all aspects of employment and trade union law; developing links with outside organisations (e.g. TUC) in, for example, collective equal pay litigation (Preston); providing training on employment law developments for lay reps and Regional Officers; providing opinions, drafting speech notes, briefing papers and policy documents; producing articles and information briefing notes for the union’s publications and maintaining information sources and databases appropriate to the employment/trade union law covered.

GRADUATE AND POST GRADUATE EDUCATION

1999        LPC passed with commendation, including Hawkins Russell Jones Prize for best Commercial Law Student.  University of Hertfordshire.

1997        Bachelor of Laws with Second Class Honours (Upper Division).  University of Northumbria.

1988        Master of Arts with Second Class Honours (Division One) in Political Studies.  University of Aberdeen.