Tribunal defence, included
From day one, we defend claims about problems that start after you join, at no extra cost, as long as you ask us before you act and follow our advice.
It covers defending you. It doesn’t pay any award, settlement or costs a tribunal orders you to pay. Its final terms are still being signed off by a lawyer. If they change, we’ll email you before you’re charged, and you can have a full refund.
What keeps it valid
- Ask Rachel before you act, and follow the case steps
- Wait for Rachel’s sign-off before any dismissal
- Tell us the day Acas or a tribunal gets in touch
All names are made up for the demo.
What keeps your defence valid
We can only defend a process that was followed, so ask your HR expert before you act and follow their advice. In practice that means three things, and the tribunal defence screen in the app shows them, with the date your cover started.
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Ask before you act, and follow the case steps in the app
Every case is set out step by step, the way the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures expects. That code is the standard a tribunal measures you against. For a disciplinary, the steps are: investigate, invite the person to a meeting with the evidence, hold the meeting with a companion (a colleague or union rep) if they want one, decide in writing, and offer an appeal. We write every letter, and the app shows every deadline.
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Wait for your HR expert to sign off before any dismissal
Dismissal letters stay locked until your HR expert has checked the process and signed off, by the next working day.
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Tell us the day Acas or a tribunal gets in touch
Press “Acas has called, or I’ve had a claim” in the app. The deadlines that follow are short, so the day matters.
Why the process matters
If an employer unreasonably fails to follow the Acas Code, a tribunal can raise an award by up to 25%. Following the steps is what lets us defend you, and what makes a claim less likely in the first place.
Every step and every piece of advice goes into a record that can be added to but not changed afterwards, so you can show what you did and why.
If Acas calls or a claim arrives
Since 1 October 2026, staff have 6 months, not 3, to bring most tribunal claims, so a claim can arrive long after someone has left. Here’s what happens when it does.
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The same day
Press “Acas has called”
One button in the app, for a call from Acas or a claim. It goes straight to your HR expert, who replies by 5pm if it reaches them by 3pm on a working day, and otherwise by noon the next working day. The app shows you the exact time.
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Early conciliation
Acas usually gets in touch first, to offer early conciliation: its help to settle the dispute without going to a tribunal. Your HR expert takes you through it and advises you on whether to settle.
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Within 28 days
If a claim arrives
If the dispute isn’t settled, the tribunal writes to you with the claim. Your response is due within 28 days, and if it’s late or missing, the tribunal may decide against you without a hearing. We put a hold on your case records, so nothing is deleted.
You decide: settle or defend
Your HR expert advises you on whether to settle or defend, and the decision is yours. You make the final call; we do everything else.
- If you defend, and the conditions at the top of this page are met, we defend you at no extra cost. Its final terms are still being signed off by a lawyer.
- If you settle, you may need a settlement agreement: a legally binding agreement in which the person accepts agreed terms and gives up the claims it covers. Our employment solicitor will draft and check it for £395 + VAT at 20% (£474 including VAT), and the person must take independent legal advice before signing.
We’d rather stop the claim than win it
From 1 January 2027, staff can claim unfair dismissal after 6 months, not 2 years, and there’s no cap on compensation. Defending a claim is the last step. These parts of your plan are there so it doesn’t come to that.
- The 6-month alarmWe flag each new starter at month 4, so you review their probation before unfair dismissal rights start.Read more
- Every dismissal checkedBefore anyone is dismissed, your HR expert checks the process and prepares the letters, by the next working day.Read more
- Harassment training and speaking upA short course for all staff and managers, with completion records as your evidence, and a way for staff to raise concerns that doesn’t go through their manager.Read more
- Contracts that keep up with the lawUpdated contracts for every employee when you join, and new versions before each change in the law starts.Read more
- Records kept for 6 yearsHoliday and sick-pay records, kept for the 6 years the law now requires, with final holiday pay worked out for leavers.Read more
- Someone independent when you need itWhen you can’t investigate fairly yourself, an investigator who isn’t your HR expert, with a report within 10 working days, for £995 + VAT at 20% (£1,194 including VAT).Read more
Questions
What does the tribunal defence cost?
Nothing extra. It’s part of your plan, on the conditions at the top of this page. Its final terms are still being signed off by a lawyer. If they change, we’ll email you before you’re charged, and you can have a full refund. If you decide to settle with a settlement agreement, that’s a fixed fee of £395 + VAT at 20% (£474 including VAT).
When does my defence start?
On the day you join, for problems that start after that. For pre-orders, you join when your subscription starts at launch. The tribunal defence screen in the app shows the date.
Is a problem that started before I joined covered?
No. The tribunal defence covers problems that start after you join: the first complaint, absence or incident has to come after your join date. Tell us about anything already brewing when you join, and we’ll help you with it, but the defence won’t cover it.
What happens to my defence if I leave?
It ends when your membership does, so a claim has to arrive while you’re still a member. Everything we’ve issued stays yours to download as PDFs.
What if Acas calls in the evening or at the weekend?
Press “Acas has called” the same day anyway: that’s how you tell us the day it happened. Your HR expert works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays, and replies by noon the next working day.
Do I have to settle if you advise it?
No. Your HR expert advises you, and the decision is yours. You make the final call; we do everything else.
Is Maravier a law firm?
No. We’re your HR team, not a law firm. Our employment solicitor will draft legal documents such as settlement agreements. As the employer, you make the final call on decisions about your staff, and we do the work around them.
How long do staff have to bring a claim?
Since 1 October 2026, staff have 6 months, not 3, to bring most tribunal claims. What the longer time limit means for you
Sources
- Being taken to an employment tribunal by an employee, gov.uk
- Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, Acas
- Unfair dismissal rights, business.gov.uk
- Employment tribunal time limits, Acas
Checked against the law on 8 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Your HR team, from January 2027.
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