Legal Officers’ tribunal functions

As reported in Labour Research (February 2025, page 19), new rules authorise Legal Officers to carry out various employment tribunal (ET) functions that previously only a judge could carry out.

Legal Officers assist employment judges and play a supporting role in the administration of justice.

An ET Practice Statement has now been issued, setting those functions out.

These include: deciding the scope of a preliminary hearing where the other side doesn’t object; applications to amend ET1s and ET3s (claim and response forms) where the other side doesn’t object; extending or shortening time limits for steps in litigation; and dismissing a claim withdrawn by a claimant.

Parties can ask for a review of a Legal Officer’s decision by a judge, within 14 days of a decision.