Breakfast bites: Managing probationary periods after 1 January 2027

About this event

Major unfair dismissal law changes take effect in 2027. Muckle LLP share practical guidance, top tips, and live Q&A in this virtual webinar.

Significant changes to the law relating to unfair dismissals come into force from 1 January 2027. From this date, the qualifying service for unfair dismissal claims reduces from 2 years to 6 months and the compensatory cap on successful claims will be removed completely.

Our friends at Muckle LLP will join us to deliver an hour’s virtual webinar from 9.30 – 10.30 on Wednesday 29th April 2026 to give practical guidance on the likely impact, offer their top tips to prepare your organisation for these changes and answer your questions.

What you’ll gain from attending

• A clear overview of the upcoming changes to unfair dismissal rights;
• Insight from industry experts on legal and practical implications of these changes for employers;
• Top tips for managing risks in a “new world”, including effective use of probationary periods and other practical tips you can take now to manage your policies, procedures and people; and
• The opportunity to ask questions directly to experienced employment law specialists at Muckle LLP.

Speakers bio:

Muckle LLP is a commercial law firm in Newcastle, Cumbria and Teesside with a national reputation for excellence.

Chris Maddock, Partner and Head of the Employment Team at Muckle, heads up the Employment Team. He is a Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 UK Leading Lawyer and is quoted in Legal 500 as “pragmatic, thoughtful and fair”. He works on a wide range of employment-related matters across the region and nationally. He has a commercial approach to employment issues and has been recognised by clients for his “sound technical knowledge” and “being easy to work with”. Chris has decades of experience in handling contentious and non-contentious employment law matters across all sectors. He has a particular interest in TUPE and has worked on a large number of complex acquisitions, transfers of undertakings and reorganisations. Chris has significant high court experience in enforcing confidentiality and post-termination obligations, as well as substantial employment tribunal and mediation experience. He also uses his extensive expertise to regularly provide employer-focused training and has developed accredited courses on the subject.

Please note:

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5. This event may include an external speaker who has prepared their own presentation. Any views or opinions expressed by the speaker are their own and do not reflect those of the CIPD.
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