UnionLine celebrates second anniversary
UnionLine, your trade union law firm, celebrates its second anniversary this week.
UnionLine has been acting as the first line of legal support for members of GMB and the Communication Workers Union since May 2014.
Since its launch, UnionLine has offered legal advice to members through a dedicated helpline, along with other services in employment law, personal injury claims, free simple wills and conveyancing.
In 2015, UnionLine launched two new services for members: motor legal insurance cover and criminal and regulatory advice and representation from a specialist outsourced firm. Earlier this year, UnionLine launched a dedicated firm for cases under Scottish jurisdiction, UnionLine Scotland.
In its two years of operation, the team at UnionLine has handled 40,772 employment law, personal injury and wills matters, and has dealt with 40,739 member enquiries through the helpline. The total damages won for members through the 2,243 settled cases amounts to more than £8.5 million.
The law firm has been recognised at several industry awards, being shortlisted for Best Use of Technology at the Modern Law Awards 2015 and for the Client Care Award at the Modern Claims Awards 2016. UnionLine was announced as ABS of the Year – 26-100 employees at the Modern Law Awards in November 2015.
Matthew Cordall, Head of Legal Practice, said: “UnionLine is continuing to lead the way in ensuring that trade union members receive a quality and dedicated legal service as part of their membership.
“The growth of the firm within two years of our launch is testament to our hard work and success. We will continue to invest in the existing services we provide for members, while adding new ones to ensure we are the first port of call for our members, whatever their legal issue.”
The union-owned law firm provides a one-stop-shop legal service for the combined membership of over 830,000 across the CWU and GMB. Union members are offered access to justice which may otherwise be restricted, following changes in the legal industry, including the introduction of employment tribunal fees.