How to Read an Employment Tribunal Hearing List
A guide to Employment Tribunal hearing lists in England and Wales. How to find a case, read the list, and understand the difference between case management, preliminary, and final hearings.
Employment Tribunals decide workplace disputes — unfair dismissal, discrimination, equal pay, redundancy, and breach of contract claims. Hearings are listed publicly and most are open to anyone who wants to attend.
This guide explains how Employment Tribunal hearing lists are structured, what each hearing type involves, and how to find a specific claim.
Quick facts
- Hearings are public unless an anonymity or restricted reporting order is in place.
- Cases are listed publicly with the claimant's name, the respondent (employer), and the hearing type.
- Claim numbers follow the format Year/Number/Year (e.g. 1234567/2024).
- Most hearings are held remotely or in hybrid format since 2020.
- Hearing lists are published the working day before each hearing day.
Track an Employment Tribunal case. Free SMS and email alerts on any claim number or party name across every Employment Tribunal in England, Wales, and Scotland.
Get AlertsUnderstanding the claim number
Employment Tribunal claim numbers use the format CASENUMBER/YEAR — for example 1234567/2024. The case number is sequential per region. The year is the year the claim was lodged. The same case keeps the same number throughout its life, even if it transfers between regional tribunals.
Some older cases use a different format (CASENUMBER/YEAR/REGION-CODE) where the region code is two letters indicating the office that issued the claim (LN = London, MR = Manchester, etc.).
Employment Tribunal hearing types
| Type | What it covers | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Hearing (Case Management) | First procedural hearing — sets directions, identifies issues, lists final hearing | 30-60 minutes |
| Preliminary Hearing (Open) | Decides a substantive issue that could end the claim — e.g. time limits, jurisdiction, employee status | Half-day to 1 day |
| Final Hearing (Liability) | Tribunal decides whether the claim is well-founded | 1-10 days |
| Final Hearing (Liability + Remedy) | Decides liability and, if upheld, what compensation/order to make | 2-15 days |
| Remedy Hearing | After liability is established at an earlier hearing, decides compensation | Half-day to 2 days |
| Reconsideration | Application to reconsider a decision (limited grounds) | 30-60 minutes |
| Costs Hearing | Decides costs orders against unreasonable conduct | 30 minutes to half-day |
Most hearings are remote or hybrid
Since 2020 most Employment Tribunal hearings have been held over CVP (Cloud Video Platform). Final hearings with live witnesses may be in-person or hybrid. The hearing list states the format for each case — check before attending.
What's on the hearing list
Employment Tribunal hearing lists publish: the claim number, claimant name, respondent name(s), hearing type, listed time, hearing room or remote-link indicator, the panel (judge, sometimes lay members), and the listed length. Where the case has multiple claimants or respondents, lists usually identify the lead party and indicate the total number of others.
Cases involving sensitive issues — e.g. discrimination on grounds of disability or sexual orientation — may be subject to anonymity orders. The list will identify these as 'Mr/Ms X' rather than the real name.
How to find an Employment Tribunal case
- Get the claim number or party names. The claim number (e.g. 1234567/2024) appears on every letter from the tribunal. If you don't have it, the claimant and respondent (employer) names are usually enough.
- Identify the regional tribunal. Cases are heard at the regional Employment Tribunal closest to the claimant's place of work. Major regions include London Central, London South, Manchester, Birmingham, Reading, Leeds, Bristol, Newcastle, Watford, and Cardiff.
- Browse the listings. On CauseAlert, visit /employment-tribunal-listings for a directory of all regional tribunals, then click into the relevant tribunal to see today's and upcoming hearings.
- Set a free alert. Add the claim number or a party name as a free alert. CauseAlert will SMS or email you the moment the case is listed at any Employment Tribunal in England, Wales, or Scotland.
- Check the hearing format. Each listing indicates whether the hearing is in-person, fully remote (CVP), or hybrid. Remote and hybrid hearings include a video link or dial-in details if you've been added to the case.
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Start free — 2 alerts includedPublic access and reporting
Employment Tribunal hearings are open to the public. Anyone may attend, take notes, and (for press) report on the proceedings. Reporting restrictions are rare but do exist — usually limited to anonymisation in cases involving sensitive personal information.
Tribunal decisions are published on the GOV.UK Employment Tribunal Decisions database, typically within 4-6 weeks of the final hearing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find an Employment Tribunal hearing list?
Employment Tribunal hearing lists are published the working day before each hearing day by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. CauseAlert aggregates lists for every regional Employment Tribunal in England, Wales, and Scotland at https://www.causealert.com/employment-tribunal-listings. Search by claim number, claimant name, respondent (employer) name, or browse by region.
Are Employment Tribunal hearings public?
Yes. Employment Tribunal hearings are open to the public unless an anonymity order or restricted reporting order has been made. Anyone may attend in person or — for remote hearings — request the video link from the tribunal. Press attendance is welcome and reporting is permitted subject to any orders in force.
What is a preliminary hearing in Employment Tribunal?
A preliminary hearing is held before the final hearing to deal with case management (setting directions, listing the final hearing) or to decide a substantive issue that could end the claim — for example whether a claim was lodged in time, whether the claimant was an employee or worker, or whether the tribunal has jurisdiction. Open preliminary hearings are public; case management ones may be heard in private.
How long does an Employment Tribunal case take?
Most Employment Tribunal claims take 6-12 months from lodging the ET1 to the final hearing. Discrimination and complex multi-day claims often take 12-24 months. Following the final hearing, judgment is typically reserved (issued in writing) within 4-6 weeks. The full timeline is set at the first preliminary hearing in the agreed case management directions.
What does CVP mean on an Employment Tribunal list?
CVP stands for Cloud Video Platform — HMCTS's remote hearing system. A CVP-marked hearing is conducted entirely by video link with parties, witnesses, and the tribunal joining from different locations. Hybrid hearings combine in-person and CVP attendance. The listing on CauseAlert shows which format applies to each case.
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SMS and email alerts on any claim or party name across every regional Employment Tribunal. No signup required to view listings.
Create free accountData sourced from HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Court information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Crown copyright.