Before you sign anything
Two documents, in plain English.
Every client signs a Letter of Engagement and an Authority to Act. This page explains what each one is, what it is for, and how they work together, before you are asked to put your name to either.
Before you read on
Why two documents, not one
Most people who instruct us have never engaged a workplace representative before, and the paperwork is unfamiliar at exactly the moment they have the least spare attention for it. So this page does one thing only: it explains, in ordinary language, what a Letter of Engagement is, what an Authority to Act is, why you sign both, and what happens if the two ever seem to say something different.
Neither document is reproduced here, and no fee, date or scope from your matter appears on this page. This is a general explanation for anyone visiting the site, not a substitute for reading your own signed documents once you have them.
Document one
The Letter of Engagement
The Letter of Engagement is the letter that turns a conversation into a contract. Once you have signed it, and we have too, it is the agreement under which we act for you. It is where the specifics of your matter are written down and confirmed, so that nothing is left to memory or assumption on either side.
In it, you will find:
- The service you are engaging. One named service from our published list, not a general retainer.
- Your salary band and your exact fixed fee. Confirmed in writing before any work begins, with no hourly billing.
- When you pay. The dates your fee falls due, worked out from the payment group your service sits in.
- Your right to cancel, and your request to start sooner. Because most matters are time-critical, the letter is where you can ask us to begin before the standard 14-day cancellation period ends.
- What happens if your matter changes. If your employer postpones a hearing, or your case resolves early, the letter sets out how that affects your fee.
Put simply: the Letter of Engagement is about what you are buying, at what price, and on what terms. It does not set out what we are allowed to do or say on your behalf in a hearing room. That is the second document.
Document two
The Authority to Act
The Authority to Act is shorter, and it does one specific job: it authorises us to represent you, and it defines exactly how far that authority goes. Where the Letter of Engagement is about price and terms, the Authority to Act is about permission and scope.
It confirms things such as:
- That you are instructing us to attend on your behalf as your chosen companion under Section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999, the statutory right to be accompanied.
- What we may do in the room. Putting your case, summing it up, responding to points raised, and conferring with you throughout.
- What we may not do. We cannot answer questions put directly to you, and we cannot negotiate or agree anything on your behalf without your express, contemporaneous instruction.
- The specific matter it covers. Your authority is scoped to the case named in it, not a general instruction to act for you in anything that arises later.
You can read more about the statutory basis for this on our guide to the right to be accompanied, and the full scope of what representation includes is set out on our representation service page.
If the two ever differ
How the two documents fit together
The two documents are designed to work together, and each governs a different question. If something in one ever appears to conflict with the other, this is the order that resolves it.
| Question | Governing document |
|---|---|
| What am I authorising you to do, and how far does it go? | Authority to Act |
| What service, at what fee, on what payment terms? | Letter of Engagement |
| The two documents describe my scope differently. Which wins? | Authority to Act |
| Where can I find the general cancellation and payment rules behind my letter? | Payment Terms and Cancellation Rights |
This is the order of precedence used across all our documents. Our full Terms of Service and Payment Terms and Cancellation Rights set it out formally; this page is the plain-English version.
Timing
When you will see these documents
You will not be sent either document out of the blue. Both follow your free 15-minute consultation, once we have agreed together that instructing us is the right step. You will have a chance to read both in full before you sign anything, and nothing is chargeable until you do. If any part of either document is unclear, ask us before you sign; that is what the free consultation and the time before signature are for.
One exception, and it only arises when the clock forces it. Where your hearing or deadline is only days away, we may engage you first by Rapid Instruction Confirmation: a short email setting out the service, the fee and your cancellation rights, which you confirm by reply so that preparation can begin the same day. It carries the same fee and the same rights as the documents described above, and both of those still follow and still need signing. The Authority to Act in particular is not optional, because it is what authorises us to attend your hearing. The full position is at section 5 of our Payment Terms and Cancellation Rights.
Curious about the fee itself before you get that far? See every service and its fixed, salary-banded fee on our Services & fees page, or read the full Payment Terms and Cancellation Rights.
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