An employment tribunal has ruled that Moss and Coleman Solicitors must pay the remainder of an employee’s bonus following a dispute over his entitlement.
Jurij Osokin had worked at the London-based firm for four years. His contract stipulated that his bonus would be based on exceeding a set fee target. In 2024, he billed £260,352, surpassing his £168,750 target by £91,602. As a result, his entitlement was £9,160.20.
Osokin was promised a 10% bonus on fees billed and recovered over his target amount. However, after submitting his resignation in October 2024, and then leaving the firm in January 2025, he was only paid £4,500, half of the agreed bonus.
Moss and Coleman Solicitors cited issues with a probate case Osokin had worked on as part of the reason it withheld the remainder of the bonus. It claimed that some bills on the case needed to be reconsidered after his departure.
The tribunal found that Osokin had provided the most reliable and accurate evidence of his entitlement, and that he showed he was due the full bonus amount.
The firm’s claims were dismissed, with the tribunal documents stating that the issues with the probate case did not affect Osokin’s right to his bonus and that the firm had failed to provide alternative figures to challenge Osokin’s calculations.
Employment Judge J S Burns said that the firm was “attempting to rely on its own claimed drafting shortcomings in the contract. The firm should have paid Osokin his full bonus by the end of January 2025”.
As a result, the tribunal awarded Osokin an additional £4,660.20. This brought his total bonus entitlement to the full £9,160.20.
The judgement is currently subject to reconsideration by the tribunal.
Moss and Coleman Solicitors declined to comment.
