About

I’m Francis Wildman, a lawyer specialising in ACAS conciliation and employment tribunal work. I’ve been advising and representing clients in the employment tribunal since 2005, and I now act for employers only.

Experience

Over more than two decades I’ve taken full conduct of employment tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal cases from whatever stage they’re at through to their conclusion — involving SMEs and larger organisations, across sectors including retail, facilities management, education and the emergency services. I’ve represented both employers and employees, which means I know how the other side thinks and how they build a case — something that’s useful when I’m now working solely for the employer.

Results have ranged from getting claims withdrawn, to negotiated settlements through ACAS conciliation, to full tribunal hearings. I’ve appeared in employment tribunals across the South East and as far afield as Manchester and Leeds.

Teaching

Alongside casework, I lecture part-time in Employment Law at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Business School from time to time. Previously, I spent several years as a lecturer and clinic supervisor at the University of Kent’s Law Clinic, supervising students’ casework and preparing them for the national negotiating competition.

How I got here

Before I became a lawyer, I appeared in the High Court and Court of Appeal several times as a litigant in person. In a 1999 Court of Appeal judgment, the presiding judge said of my handling of my own case: “The applicant on this appeal, Mr. Wildman, has advanced his case in person with commendable skill, care and industry, and I compliment him on the way that he has dealt with the matter.” Comments like that, from that judge and others, are what set me on the path to a career in law.

Before that, I spent years working as a carpenter as well as running a computer repair business — practical, hands-on work that still shapes how I approach a case: work out what’s actually going on, then get on with it.