The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) was founded in 1975 to help improve employment relations. All employment tribunal (ET) cases have an appointed ACAS officer to ‘conciliate’ (to act as an independent intermediary to facilitate settlement). Clients are often mistaken in believing that ACAS officers are lawyers. They are not and ACAS is generally unable to give advice on the merits of a claim. The ACAS website is a useful source of free information: www.acas.org.uk
