Unfair dismissal applications must be lodged within 21 calendar days. The Fair Work Commission does not grant extensions casually. A delayed reply to a dismissed worker's enquiry can cost a six-figure compensation matter — before your firm even meets them.
Unfair dismissal applications must reach the Fair Work Commission within 21 calendar days. Extensions are granted only in exceptional circumstances.
Unfair dismissal compensation is capped at 26 weeks of the applicant's pay — meaning matters routinely sit in the $30K–$130K+ range.
An enquiry sent Friday at 5pm, replied to Monday at 10am, has lost almost a quarter of the available window — before any work begins.
Dismissed workers don't enquire on their dismissal day. They enquire three days later, after the shock fades and the panic begins. They've already lost three days of their twenty-one.
If they reach voicemail, they wait. If they wait two more days, they've lost a quarter of their window before they've spoken to a single solicitor. By the time your firm calls back, another firm has already filed.
This is not a marketing problem. It's a statutory problem. The clock is running, with or without you.
The 21-day rule turns every missed enquiry into a closing window. Speed of response isn't a nice-to-have — it's the difference between a six-figure case and an apology letter.
An after-hours intake that captures dismissed workers the moment they reach out — captures the date of dismissal, calculates remaining days under the 21-day rule, and flags urgency for your team automatically.
Every employment law enquiry asks for the date of dismissal — the system calculates remaining days under section 394 and flags any matter under 14 days as urgent.
Anything inside the 7-day window triggers a same-hour notification to your senior employment lawyer — not a Monday-morning email summary.
The system gathers basic eligibility markers — length of service, employer size, type of dismissal — so your team's first call is substantive, not exploratory.
Apex captures and triages enquiries based on statutory deadlines. Your team makes every legal decision — every conflict check, every retainer, every filing.
A dismissed worker submits an enquiry via your website — name, contact, dismissal date, employer size, basic role information.
Within 60 seconds, the system replies with a professional acknowledgement. Calculates remaining days. Tags urgent matters automatically.
A 14-days-remaining matter goes to your morning queue. A 4-days-remaining matter triggers an immediate notification — even at 11pm Saturday.
Each intake is configured for the matters your firm runs — unfair dismissal, general protections, redundancy disputes, workplace investigations, discrimination claims, sexual harassment matters.
It takes less than 60 seconds. We'll be in touch within one business day.