Posted: June 18th, 2016

Prepare for the interview. Think about what sort of information you might need and the questions you might need to ask, the structure of the interview and your language and how you will act.

You are a client who has made an appointment with a solicitor’s firm for some advice on an employment matter.

You can give your own name and address, telephone number and date of birth, or you can make these up (e.g. Sam Brown, 44 Regent Street, Coventry, CV1XX 2PP, tel: 024 7799 0000, 21/09/85).

Your problem:

You were sacked last Wednesday.

The facts:

You have worked for Primrose Supermarkets for the last 5 years as a cashier. Two months ago a new cashier was taken on and you do not get on with her. Mrs Todd is very loud and bossy and tells other staff what to do. She has upset several staff, including you. On one occasion she made a younger member of staff cry by telling her she was “a useless waste of space who did not know her pounds from her pence or a grape from a plum.” She has told you you are too slow and you talk too much to the customers and you look a mess. You have complained to your boss but nothing was ever done. You suspect Mrs Todd is having an affair with your boss and he is biased. It is rumoured that Mrs Todd is paid more than every other cashier in the shop. Last Wednesday you were called in to your supervisor who told you that he had received some complaints about your behaviour. You were astounded and swore at him, calling him “a bloody shagging disgrace”. He responded by saying he could not tolerate such language from his staff and he expected more loyalty. You shouted that not everyone was willing to jump into bed with him. He then told you to “leave the building and not bother coming back”.
Ask the solicitor how much money you will be entitled to.

Do not disclose the following details unless specifically asked:

Your workplace address: Civic Square, Unit 2, Shipston Street, Coventry, CV8 4LO. Your boss’s name: Arthur Pickering. Your salary: £10,500 p.a. gross. Your hours: 38 varied over 6 days.
What you want: you do not want your job back since you had already applied for another job. However, you need a reference from your old employer. You also want to know if you will get paid for this month and whether you are entitled to any compensation. You would also like Mrs Todd to be sacked.
Other information: you ‘borrowed’ some money from the till last month and did put it back. No-one knows about this and it is strictly against work rules.
Workshop 2
Exercise 2 (2)
Solicitor student scenario

You are a trainee solicitor. You have a client coming to see you about a contract matter. That is all you know. Prepare for the interview. Think about what sort of information you might need and the questions you might need to ask, the structure of the interview and your language and how you will act.