The Employment Rights Act 2025 - What You Need to Know Right Now (Dec 25)
Category: HR | Duration: 1hr | Tag: VODUK2579 | Type: Video | Course Level: Intermediate | Speaker: Kate Lawson | Date: 11/12/2025 10:00
Course Details
The Employment Rights Bill introduced by the labour government to parliament in October 2024 is the biggest shake-up to employment law for a generation. It is expected to be given Royal Assent, and therefore become the Employment Rights Act 2025, in autumn this year, following the final sitting of the House of Lords on 28 October in relation to the amendments it has made, and which Commons has overturned.
The sections of the act will be introduced over a period of 2 years, in accordance with the proposed Roadmap published by the Government in July 2025. Much of the detail is still to be consulted on and will then be presented as a series of regulations.
It is vital that all trusted advisers and all employers have at this stage an outline knowledge as to the many changes this new act will introduce in a range of areas at the heart of UK employment law.
In this course Kate Lawson covers the following topics:
- The proposed extension to unfair dismissal protections, in order that these protections apply from day 1.
- Additional new day 1 rights, including bereavement leave, [paternity leave and parental leave.
- New rights for zero hours and low pay workers.
- Increased requirements around collective consultations on large redundancies and steps to end fire and rehire practices.
- A brief summary of the package of trade union measures included in the bill.
- Summary of additional new law expected and the timetable for this new law, including consultation periods, for elements such as Equality Action Plans, changes to SSP, and increased protections for workers during pregnancy and during and after maternity leave.
CPD Course Speaker
Element Law
Kate Lawson
Kate is an experienced employment solicitor, having qualified in 2001. She has been assisting employers and employees with a wide range of employment law and HR issues since qualification.
Kate completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in South Africa, at the University of Natal, before obtaining her post-graduate legal qualifications in England at Guildhall University (Post Graduate Diploma in Law with Commendation) and BPP Law School (Diploma in Legal Practice with Distinction). She was admitted as a solicitor in October 2001 following a training contract at Clarkson Wright & Jakes.
Kate worked at Cripps in Tunbridge Wells where she served as an Associate Solicitor. She lectured and tutored on the Legal Practice Diploma at BPP Law School on Business Law and Practice and Employment Law, before moving to ThomasMansfield boutique employment firm as Head of their London office, where she was promoted to Partner.
Kate has been a Director of Element Law since 2012.
Kate focuses solely on employment and HR law and related issues, acting for both businesses and employees, and contentious and non-contentious work. This gives her a useful and balanced insight into the key priorities and objectives from each perspective.
The focus of her work is as trusted adviser to SMEs, including a number of professional partnerships and not for profit organisations. Her clients include patent attorneys and national charities. She supports her clients on a day-to-day providing practical, commercial advice on a range of areas from grievance and disciplinary matters to family friendly leave arrangements to business mergers and acquisitions and redundancy consultations to employment tribunal claims.
Kate also provides regular practical HR and management training for her clients on a range of topics from 2 to 3 hours introductory level to full day analysis of more complex processes. Kate speaks at events and on podcasts for organisations including at the House of Commons on Menopause and the workplace, and for the Society of Occupational Medicine on Reasonable adjustments and Neurodiversity.