An employment tribunal has ruled that a defunct Newcastle-based law firm must pay 13 former employees 90 days’ remuneration for unfair dismissal after failing to give sufficient notice of redundancy ahead of the firm ceasing trading.
Short Richardson and Forth closed on 30 September 2022, before entering into voluntary liquidation on 12 January 2023.
The firm informed employees that it would cease to provide legal services from 30 September 2022 on 5 September that year and proposed to make 20 members of staff redundant. The first such dismissal took place on 30 September 2022 and the final on 30 November that year.
In total, 17 former employees lodged claims of unfair dismissal, with four of these subsequently being dismissed.
The judgements were entered into without a hearing, after the liquidator wrote to the tribunal stating that it did not intend to admit or defend any of the claims.
In the written judgements, employment judge Arullendran stated: “There was no proper warning or consultation undertaken with a recognised trade union or the claimant. There was no consultation with the claimant between 5 September 2022 and 30 September 2022. No employee representatives had been elected or appointed for any such consultation within section 188A of the 1992 Act. 5.
“In the circumstances, the respondent is in breach of the duty under section 188 of the 1992 Act and the Tribunal makes an award under section 189 in favour of the claimant for the maximum protected period of 90 days commencing on 30 September 2022.”