Show Cause Letters

How can a lawyer help you respond to a show cause notice?

An employment lawyer can help you in responding effectively to a show cause letter. With respect to show cause notices, this law firm defends the rights, reputation, and legal interests of its clients by:

• Providing advice and guidance
• Drafting response letters to show cause letters
• Negotiating confidential resolutions with employers
• Litigating disputes in courts and tribunals

If you are considering whether or not you should get help in responding to a show cause letter, it is critical to understand what this firm does and how it may benefit you.

A response to a show cause letter is your opportunity to persuade your employer why you should not face disciplinary action or dismissal. However, it can also be an opportunity to negotiate with your employer about ending your contract on commercial terms that are acceptable to you and allow you to move forward more securely.

In assessing the allegations or purported findings in a show cause letter, it can be surprising how often employers and managers (even with the benefit of advisers) fail to afford procedural fairness, comply with their own policies and procedures, or take into account relevant information.

Based in Brisbane, this law firm assists executives and employees across Australia in responding to show cause notices. It works with people who are often facing a situation that threatens their livelihood, professional reputation, and financial security.

You may have a number of options open to you in responding to a show cause letter. However, because the situation may be unfamiliar, involves short timeframes, and is generally highly stressful, people do not always appreciate their options or weigh them in a considered manner. If you think you may benefit from the advice and assistance of an experienced lawyer, contact Anderson Legal to discuss your options.

People can be mistaken about when a lawyer may be most useful to them

It is not uncommon to feel uncertainty, doubt, and stress upon receiving a letter asking you to ‘show cause’. In fact, it is normal, particularly for people who feel the situation is unfair, unjust, or unreasonable.

It is also not uncommon to see people making mistakes about how to respond and the scope of the task. People can view the correctness of their position as self-evident. It can stop them from reflecting on their options in responding. It can see people underestimate how much work there is in formulating a compelling response.

Some people think they will engage a lawyer ‘if the worst happens’. That is, they see a lawyer as someone who will ‘react’ to a bad outcome, rather than work to ‘prevent’ it. The truth is, it often becomes harder, not easier, to change the outcome the farther things are along the road. For that reason, people facing potential disciplinary action at work are always best advised to get legal advice as soon as possible. As it is with medicine, prevention is better than a cure.

Hiring a lawyer to help you can be easier than you think, and the timing can be important. Quite often, the earlier you engage a lawyer to help you, the more options you will have available in responding to a show cause letter.

Your response to a ‘show cause’ letter can be important for a number of reasons

People facing possible disciplinary action at work are often instructed by their employers to keep the process confidential. It can make the process feel isolating and disempowering.

Isolation and disempowerment can lead people to feel they are simply subject to the process and that the result will be what it will be. This feeling can undermine the opportunity a person has to put their best foot forward.

There are many different ways you can respond to a show cause notice. There isn’t generally a ‘right answer’, given different people will have different priorities. An experienced lawyer can help you not only in understanding ‘why’ a particular response is right for you, but help with ‘how’ to best address the issue.

If you disagree with the decision of your employer, you may seek to use your response to the ‘show cause’ letter as part of a legal claim. For example, you may rely on it as part of an unfair dismissal claim or general protections claim. This can be a double-edged sword. While a well-argued response to a show cause notice may assist you, the opposite may be true where a response is poor. In such cases, it may be your former employer who wishes to rely on your response.

A response to a show cause letter can be of interest to others beyond your employer. For instance, professional regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies may obtain responses in some cases. Also, it may be produced in other legal proceedings. These issues highlight why it is prudent for people facing issues of this nature to get legal advice early.

Anderson Legal provides legal advice to executives and employees dealing with show cause notices. Contact this firm for a confidential discussion about how this firm can assist you.