Bankers unhappy with their bonus get set to sue

Disgruntled bankers disappointed with their Christmas bonuses could fuel a surge in legal cases bought against their employers, a leading City law firm has warned.

The number of High Court cases relating to "breach of contract" (the majority of which are related to bonuses) jumped from 456 in 2010 to 809 last year, the highest number on record, Nockolds research showed, and this is set to rise.

The law firm said disappointing bonuses may force City workers to sue their workplace, but one of the biggest drivers could be confusion over contracts that allow verbal promises of a bonus to be legally binding. 

Read more: "In recent years there have been a number of cases whereby verbal promises have led to expectations and so (in a) major case…(the)court of appeal said, 'look if employers make verbal promises to employees then that's considered to be a contractual variation and a legally binding contract',"