Managing employers’ Liability Stress Claims in Higher Education: From Tribunal to Employer’s Liability Claims

Webinar | Wednesday 22 October 2025 | 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Hour

Handling student disciplinary issues is never straightforward - but when those students are training for regulated professions such as medicine, dentistry, teaching (PGCE), or law, the stakes are significantly higher. These cases raise distinct and complex challenges for universities, which must manage dual responsibilities to the individual student, the wider student and public body, and relevant professional regulators.

Increasing levels of stress-related absences from work amongst Higher Education Institution’s workforce mean increased risks of claims from employees. These include full-blown employment disputes and civil injury claims, creating legal and reputational challenges.

This one-hour webinar, delivered by a specialist insurance and employment team of lawyers with over 30 years’ experience handling third-party liability claims, will explore the risks and legal nuances of stress-related Employers’ Liability (EL) civil court claims within the higher education sector.

In this webinar, our legal experts will:

• Provide an overview of the key types of workforce stress-related claims facing the sector today
• Discuss the lifecycle of an EL psychiatric injury claim highlighting key court decisions
• Discuss managing the interplay between an employee’s related Tribunal and EL court claims
• Explore real-world case studies, outcomes, and learning points
• Offer risk management strategies to mitigate exposure and improve institutional resilience
• Discuss the importance of collaboration between legal, HR, risk management, and insurers

This session is ideal for university risk managers, legal counsel, HR professionals, insurers, and senior administrators seeking to better understand their institution’s exposure to claims and how best to prepare for and defend against complex claims.

This is the third in our higher education autumn series of Wednesday webinars. Our higher education specialists will be hosting our other sessions on 8 and 15 October.

Click here for further details on our other webinars below:

• Higher Education Pensions Update Autumn 2025
• Fitness to Practise in Higher Education — Managing Complex Risks and Regulatory Responsibilities