With or Without mlpflex – A Tale of Two Outcomes
- Case Studies
- 19th Aug 2021
mlpflex works proactively, our specialists identifying solutions long before problems even arise. Our commercial approach aims to keep your options open and, best of all, it saves you time, money and stress. The below scenarios demonstrate how mlpflex has helped clients stay ahead of the game, keep their options open and minimise the time, cost […]
By Gareth Matthews
mlplaw
mlpflex works proactively, our specialists identifying solutions long before problems even arise. Our commercial approach aims to keep your options open and, best of all, it saves you time, money and stress.
The below scenarios demonstrate how mlpflex has helped clients stay ahead of the game, keep their options open and minimise the time, cost and stress of dealing with legal issues.
Company A – without mlpflex
Company A doesn’t want to incur the cost of ongoing legal advice, so only calls its lawyers when something goes wrong and as a last resort.
Out of the blue, a key senior employee is accused of a serious act of gross misconduct and disciplinary proceedings are necessary.
Company A tries to minimise its legal costs by dealing with the process internally. The employee is ultimately dismissed after the allegation is upheld.
Company A then receives an Employment Tribunal claim from their disgruntled ex-employer and calls its lawyer for advice.
Company A’s lawyers, charging on an hourly rate basis, advise that they have serious concerns that the claim will succeed due to considerable flaws in the disciplinary process. They advise that there is only one feasible option, which is to settle the claim.
Company A has no option but to instruct its lawyers to settle the claim. Settlement is eventually achieved following protracted negotiations, with Company A agreeing to pay significant compensation to their ex-employer.
Company A’s lawyers also recommend a full review of the employment contracts used by Company A, after it was revealed that the ex-employee left with no confidentiality protections or post-termination restrictions, enabling them to compete with Company A and poach its customers without restriction.
Company A’s overall expenditure, including hourly rate legal fees, compensation, updating its contracts and dealing with the unexpected competition from its ex-employee, runs into the tens of thousands.
So how would mlpflex have helped?
Company B – with mlpflex
Company B is an mlpflex client. It pays a fixed monthly fee for proactive and commercial legal advice.
Each year Company B undergoes a full HR Audit, which highlights any risks and vulnerabilities it may face and recommends steps for addressing these. This includes ensuring the correct policies and procedures are in place and that all employment contracts contain watertight confidentiality clauses and post-termination restrictions.
Company B also receives monthly mlpflex newsletters and attends the monthly mlpflex Employment webinar, meaning it keeps up to date with key developments in Employment Law.
Company B also uses mlpflex to design bespoke training sessions for its managers, ensuring they are empowered to conduct effective disciplinary processes.
Company B also has mlplaw’s experienced Legal Experts on hand, at no extra cost, to guide it through any tricky situations it faces, receiving all of the documents and guidance it ever needs to ensure all situations are handled smoothly.
Company B therefore does not face the same issues as Company A, with the prospects of a claim being brought against them greatly reduced.
Even if a claim was to be received, Company B would have a wider range of options and can be confident of successfully defending any claims, meaning it will not end up being pressured into settling a claim by paying large compensation sums.
Company B also does not face the risk of competition from its ex-employee because the ex-employee remains bound by watertight post-termination restrictions and confidentiality obligations.
Company B faces no additional costs for dealing with the situations outlined above. It simply continuing to pay its fixed monthly fee for mlpflex.
Contact us today on 0161 926 9969 or hello@mlplaw.co.uk to discuss how mlpflex can help you get ahead of the game.
About the expert

Stephen Attree
Managing Partner
Stephen is the Owner of MLP Law and leads our Commercial, IP and Dispute Resolution teams which provide advice on all aspects of the law relating to mergers, acquisitions, financing, re-structuring, complex commercial contracts, standard trading terms, share options, shareholder and partnership agreements, commercial dispute resolution, joint venture and partnering arrangements, IT and Technology law, Intellectual Property, EU and competition law, Brexit and GDPR.
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