An employment tribunal representative is a person who represents an individual during an employment tribunal hearing. They can speak on their behalf, offer evidence and provide legal advice. The type of representation required will depend on the individual’s circumstances and needs. Some people will be able to get free, qualified legal representation from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Others may wish to have their own representative or seek the assistance of a solicitor or barrister.
If an employee wishes to bring a claim against their employer they will need to fill in an ET1 form either online or on paper. This will set out what their complaint is, who is involved and any relevant dates. After the claim is lodged, both sides will be given a date for the main hearing. At this hearing you, or your representative if you have one, will put your case to the employment judge and any lay members who are sitting on the panel. Each side will call witnesses and produce any documents they need to support their argument. You or your representative will have the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses as well.
The respondent, which is usually the employer being taken to the tribunal, will also give evidence about what happened. They will often have a professional representative with them, but if they are a smaller company the owner or manager might be their own representative. Both sides will be able to ask the other’s representatives questions and at the end of the case, the employment judge will make a decision on the basis of the evidence presented. employment tribunal representative