Jacksons covers employment law for Environment Agency

The Bristol-based government-appointed Environment Agency, formed in April, has chosen Middlesbrough firm Jacksons to provide its employment law services for 9,200 employees nationally.

The agency, which put the work out to tender in July, is understood to have considered two other firms before awarding work worth anything up to £50,000to Jacksons .

The firm used to provide employment advice to the Nat ional Rivers Authority, which was the largest organisation amalgamated into the new agency and had 7,000 staff.

Jacksons' contact partner for the agency, Robin Bloom, said that he, the head of the employment law unit, Kevin Fletcher, and an assistant would handle the work. "There is no way of knowing how much time we will spend working with this client. The work will be reactive and mainly advisory," he said.

Recent high-profile employment cases handled by the firm include Danjal v British Steel - a test case on whether a company can require a Sikh to remove a turban, which is part of religious worship, in order to wear protective clothing.

Other Jackson clients include Black & Decker and the Nat ional Farmers' Union.