Course Details

There are significant changes to employment rights taking effect in 2026 and 2027 through the phased introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025. 


One of the most substantial changes is the reduction of the qualifying service employees need to bring a claim for unfair dismissal in the employment tribunal from the current 2 years to 6 months from 1 January 2027. This will have an impact on all employers and businesses, and change how employers need to manage probationary periods and early poor performance, as well as the use of and termination processes for fixed-term contracts including maternity cover roles. 


In this session, we reflect on this change in the law and the practical implications for all businesses, covering information that is vital for management of your practice as well as awareness when advising employer clients.



In this session Kate Lawson covers the following topics:


  • What is the change in the law and when does it come into force? 
  • We will consider the current law and the law following the change in 2027, and how this is immediately relevant to all employers, including partnerships, SMEs and third sector organisations.
  • What will this change mean in practice for my business? 
  • We will consider the circumstances and potential claims impacted by a reduction in qualifying service, and what this means for dismissal of new joiners. We will also summarise context around the workings of employment tribunals.
  • What should we be doing to prepare for this change? 
  • We will consider the increased significance of probationary periods as a result of this change and how to use probationary periods effectively. 
  • How does this change impact fixed-term contract roles for projects and maternity cover?
  • We will consider the rights of fixed term employees and the important considerations for maternity cover roles.
  • What related changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 are also important to prepare for?
  • We will summarise other changes of significance under the new Act in the context of unfair dismissal, including the removal of the current cap on compensation that a tribunal can award.


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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.