THERE is one thing common to almost all employment lawyers and HR practitioners I know, and that is that they all have a real interest in the subject matter.
Employment law is a curious mix.
It is partly keeping up to date with the dizzying pace of change, with legislation from the UK, and Europe, and with case law from tribunals and courts at many different levels.
But it is also about resolving issues when they arise, considering what options are, and using an array of different techniques to get to where you want to be.
The annual Aberdeen Employment Law Conference is unique in Scotland, where three different firms work together to pool their ideas, knowledge and experience to provide a combination of legal detail, analysis and practical guidance that we hope will be useful in the day-to-day practice of those who attend.
This year it is to take place on November 26 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Its centrepiece is the outstanding summary of legislative and case law developments over the past year given by Toni McAlindin.
It is something I always look forward to, as she adds her own thoughts to the detail of developments there have been.
But there is more…
The morning sessions will include three talks on important areas of risk for HR practitioners, and for employers generally.
Immigration is one of the hottest topics in the news at present, but for employers it poses very different challenges to those that are usually reported.
Immigration law continues to change regularly, and sometimes very significantly and at very short notice.
I am looking forward to learning about the techniques for managing these complex problems, the legal background that exists and practical solutions to the many problems that arise.
It was not that long ago that data protection was a rather narrow field of law, which was encountered in practice only from time to time.
That has changed completely.
It now needs to be at the forefront of risk management strategies, and the consequences of a failure to do so both financially because of penalties, and reputationally, are increasingly significant.
The third talk is one that is likely to be at the forefront of legislative changes in the years to come – gender pay and equality.
It is a sensitive issue, particularly in the proposals for the publication of information on pay.
Pay levels are one of the points that people tend to guard very jealously, and whatever legislation is eventually introduced is bound to bring with it some real problems in its wake.
The afternoon session which I am to be involved in is, as normal, intended to be a little more light-hearted.
It is to look at the same basic set of circumstances from three different perspectives – the investigation meeting, the disciplinary hearing and then cross-examination of the manager at an employment tribunal.
The hope is that the lessons that are learned from the third of these events can inform best practice in the first two.
It should be interesting!