An out-of-tribunal settlement has been reached between the Beauchamps law firm and a former junior partner who claimed to have been unfairly dismissed from his position.
It was announced during the second day of an Employment Appeals Tribunal hearing into the case that Bruno Herbots, a legal expert in the field of construction and public procurement, had withdrawn the claim lodged against his former employer following negotiations between the parties.
Counsel for Mr Herbots informed a sitting of the tribunal that the case will now not progress further.
Details of the agreement between the parties were not revealed.
During the first day of hearings in December, the tribunal heard Mr Herbots, who worked for Beauchamps between 2007 and 2015, received an offer of employment elsewhere but agreed to work out a six-month notice period.
According to counsel for Mr Herbots, Michael MacNamee BL, within a month of his client agreeing to this course of action, he was accused of a lack of fidelity and gross misconduct in a letter sent to him by John White, a managing partner at Beauchamps.
The tribunal was told the rebuke was prompted by an advertisement received by Beauchamps for a procurement conference in which Mr Herbots, still an employee of the firm at the time, was listed as speaking on behalf of another firm, Noble Solicitors.
Mr Herbots alleged he was then locked out of his office and had his salary cut off. He initially sought compensation reflecting the unexpired balance of his resignation amounting to five months’ pay before the agreement was reached.
The tribunal did not hear evidence from Beauchamps, which contested the unfair dismissal claim.