Employment law is an extremely fast-moving area of law. It is constantly changing, and much of this change is being driven by developments at European Union level.

Employment law can be divided broadly into contentious and non-contentious areas.

Contentious work includes dealing with Employment Tribunal claims, negotiating settlement (often through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service – more commonly known as Acas) and, where no settlement is reached, Employment Tribunal advocacy.

Non-contentious matters include advising on employment aspects of company sales, Private Finance Initiative work, handling redundancies and drafting employment contracts and policies.

What you can expect

Employment law is more legally technical than many areas of legal practice and excellent research skills are essential. The ability to communicate the law clearly and simply to clients, both orally and in writing, is also crucial.

Another important part of an employment lawyer’s work is advising clients on day-to-day human resources issues such as employees’ statutory rights and disciplinary proceedings.

The work/life balance for employment lawyers is generally good, as there is usually a steady flow of work rather than the peaks and troughs more frequently experienced by transactional lawyers.

Employment is one of the more popular areas of law, and there is significant competition for positions.

Skills for employment lawyers

You will need:

• communication skills
• advocacy skills
• negotiation skills
• research and analytical skills.