Dismissal: Shaping New Developments into Solution-Focused Answers for Employers in Scotland

Solution-Focused, Court-Proven, Answers to 6 of the Thorniest Dismissal Questions Facing Scottish Employers: Directly from 7 Top-Rated Lawyers

Live Attendance

Attend the conference in-person at InterContinental The George, Edinburgh

  • Date Thursday, 6 Nov 2025, 10:00AM to 4:00PM
  • Registration Open from 9:30AM
  • Rate

    £275

    + VAT per person

  • Information you won't find elsewhere

    Our experts talk under Chatham House Rule, so you get the best, most readily usable information they wouldn't share elsewhere

Programme

  1. 09:30

    Registration and coffee

  2. 10:00

    Chair's Introduction

    Dismissal: Shaping new developments into solution-focused answers for employers in Scotland

    Chaired by Paul Smith of Broadway House Chambers

    Paul is “an exceptional court advocate.” “His knowledge of the law is encyclopaedic; he provides highly commercial advice; and he brings a huge number of cases to the table.”

  3. 10:15

    Bullying

    How do you progress a performance management process when an employee perceives bullying and counters with multiple grievances, refuses to engage, or goes off sick partway through?

    Answered by Noele McClelland of Thorntons

    Noele is "a problem-solver”, superb at unfair dismissal proceedings. She “really understands the practical, real-life application of employment law within an organisation."

  4. 10:55

    Word-against-word

    How do you determine the outcome in word-against-word situations involving inappropriate behaviour and/or harassment between employees on official and unofficial work nights out?

    Answered by Gillian MacLellan of CMS

    Gillian is "solution-driven and knows how to make the law work for her HR clients." She is praised for her "fantastic service, her response times and commercially savvy advice.”

  5. 11:35

    Morning coffee

  6. 11:55

    Neurodivergence

    How far can you go in encouraging a formal diagnosis where you (1) suspect or (2) have been told that neurodivergence is the reason for an employee's underperformance or poor behaviour?

    Answered by Morag Hutchison of Shepherd and Wedderburn

    Morag “cuts to the chase, provides direct, clear advice and makes any challenge her HR client is dealing with seem easy to manage.” “She is a superb speaker and communicator.”

  7. 12:35

    Exit conversations

    How do you de-risk exit conversations with senior employees who have lost the trust of their teams or the CEO, or were simply the wrong hire, even though they may not realise this?

    Answered by Euan Smith of Eversheds Sutherland

    Euan “transforms the most complex problems into clear, accessible and pragmatic advice for HR clients.” He is a highly sought after commentator on national TV and Radio.

  8. 13:15

    Lunch

  9. 14:00

    Health and Meds

    How do you handle employees whose health condition or medication impact their communication and capacity to participate fruitfully in performance-related meetings?

    Answered by Jennifer Skeoch of Burness Paull

    Jennifer “is very approachable and a pleasure to work with. No challenge is too big and she always deals with tricky and sensitive situations with the utmost professionalism.”

  10. 14:40

    Maternity

    How precarious is it to run a redundancy consultation for employees on maternity leave due to return soon? What if there are no alternative roles, or they refuse them?

    Answered by Dawn Dickson of Anderson Strathern

    Dawn represents employers in tribunal claims for unfair dismissal, breach of contract and discrimination. “She is exceptionally knowledgeable and a second-to-none advocate.”

  11. 15:20

    Over-run

  12. 16:00

    Close of conference

Live Attendance

Attend the conference in-person at InterContinental The George, Edinburgh

  • Date Thursday, 6 Nov 2025, 10:00AM to 4:00PM
  • Rate

    £275

    + VAT per person