Employment Law Solicitor (151CBAF)

Referment; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Referment is seeking an Employment Solicitor with 5–8 years' PQE to join its growing employment team in Cardiff or Bangor. You will handle a mixed contentious and non-contentious workload for businesses and individuals across Wales, with autonomy and client-facing responsibility.

You will manage Employment Tribunal litigation from instruction to conclusion, draft and negotiate contracts and policies, and advise on disciplinary, grievance, performance and capability processes.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales with experience across contentious and non-contentious employment law.

Responsibilities

• Manage Employment Tribunal cases from instruction to conclusion with minimal supervision.
• Draft and negotiate employment contracts, policies and handbooks.
• Advise employers on disciplinary, grievance, performance and capability processes.
• Deliver due diligence support, restructurings, TUPE advice and related documentation.
• Run or assist with investigations into disciplinary, grievance or whistleblowing matters.

Skills

Employment Tribunal experience

Contract drafting

UK employment law knowledge

Commercial/Business-facing advice

Written and verbal communication

Education

Solicitor in England & Wales

Job description

Referment is working with a commercial law firm with offices in Cardiff and Bangor, advising businesses and individuals across South and North Wales. Its employment team is well established and growing, and it is now looking for an Employment Solicitor with 5-8 years' PQE.

The mandate suits a lawyer who works with real autonomy. You'll advise business owners, HR professionals and senior management across a mixed contentious and non-contentious workload, giving pragmatic, commercially focused advice and building trusted client relationships of your own. The team is collaborative and supportive, the work is high quality and varied, and you'll be based in Cardiff or Bangor, with flexibility to work from home for up to two days a week after you complete probation.

The Role

On the contentious side, you'll manage Employment Tribunal litigation from instruction through to conclusion: drafting pleadings, managing disclosure, preparing witness statements and getting cases ready for hearing. The claims are complex, covering discrimination, whistleblowing, unfair and constructive dismissal, equal pay, breach of contract and redundancy disputes, and you'll conduct or support advocacy at preliminary hearings and settlement discussions while helping clients weigh risk and settlement strategy.

On the advisory side, you'll draft and negotiate employment contracts, service agreements, policies and handbooks, and guide employers through disciplinary, grievance, performance and capability processes. You'll deliver advice and documentation for restructurings and redundancy exercises, support corporate transactions with due diligence, warranties, indemnities and TUPE advice, and run or assist with detailed disciplinary, grievance or whistleblowing investigations.

What We're Looking For

You’ll be a qualified solicitor in England & Wales with demonstrable experience across both contentious and non-contentious employment law. In practice, that means:

• running Employment Tribunal cases from start to finish with minimal supervision
• confident drafting of employment contracts, policies and settlement agreements
• a strong working knowledge of UK employment legislation and case law
• clear, commercial advice that explains technical points in a business-friendly way, backed by excellent written and verbal communication

You’ll also need the organisation and judgement to manage competing deadlines, and the composure and discretion to handle complex and sensitive matters.

Tribunal advocacy experience, supervising junior fee-earners, business development exposure or a background in sectors such as the public sector, education, healthcare, tech, retail or manufacturing are useful rather than essential, and Welsh language skills would be a plus.

This could suit an employment solicitor at a regional or national firm who wants broader ownership and closer client relationships, an in‑house employment adviser returning to private practice, or a lawyer looking to build a mixed litigation and advisory practice in Wales.

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