The complexity and variable nature of legal work can make it difficult to predict the cost of a case at the start.  For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please email [email protected] or call 03301 244 084.  We would be more than happy to discuss your case.  We will always discuss and agree fees with you before accepting your instructions.

Our fees are based on the time it takes to deal with your case, which can vary significantly from case to case. Our hourly rates vary from £150 to £295 plus VAT per hour depending on the experience and level of the fee earner undertaking the work on your case.  The time a case takes and therefore the final cost is dependent on factors such as the factual and legal complexity of the matter, the number of witnesses, the quantity of documents which are relevant to the issues and the conduct of the other party in bringing or defending the claim. The time we charge for includes time spent attending on you and others, dealing with papers, correspondence, telephone calls and attendance at the Employment Tribunal.

Our charges are made up of:

1. a)     our fees for the legal work;
2. b)     “disbursements” – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as fees for a barrister’s opinion or help at court.  We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

We have set out some typical costs for bringing or defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal, by way of illustration. Simple tribunal cases for unfair or wrongful dismissal can often be dealt with at a final hearing, lasting between one to three days with limited preparation time, although where the case is linked to other claims, such as discrimination or whistleblowing, or where a high number of witnesses are required, the final hearing can last for many more days and significantly more preparation is needed.

The illustrations below assume a case with a final hearing lasting one to two days. The rates exclude our costs of attending the final tribunal hearing, VAT and disbursements, which are detailed below.

If you are an employee:

• Simple case: £5,500 – £10,000 (plus VAT)
• Medium complexity case: £10,000 – £17,500 (plus VAT)
• High complexity case: £17,500 – £25,000 (plus VAT)

If you are an employer:

• Simple case: £7,500 – £15,000 (plus VAT)
• Medium complexity case: £15,000 – £25,000 (plus VAT)
• High complexity case: £25,000 – £40,000 (plus VAT)

Our fees for an employer are higher, as there is typically more work to be done. For example, as an employer, you will usually have more documents to disclose, more witnesses to interview and prepare statements for and are often asked to take the lead in some of the administrative steps, such as the preparation of the list of issues and trial bundles of documents.

We have provided a range of prices dependent on the complexity of the case. Factors that could make a case more complex include:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
• Making or defending a costs application
• Complex preliminary issues, such as whether the claimant was an employee (if this is not agreed by the parties)
• The number of witnesses and documents; the more witnesses and the greater the volume of documents, the more complex the case will be
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if the dismissal is alleged to be following a whistleblowing
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

There will be an additional charge for us attending a final tribunal hearing of between £1,500 to £2,000 per day (plus VAT).

When an unforeseen complexity arises, or where the way in which you ask us to proceed with your case means additional work, we will inform you of this and provide you with revised costs information. Additional fees would be incurred for any mediation and/or advising on an appeal, details of which we would discuss with you at the appropriate time.

VAT

All our fees for our time are plus VAT currently at the rate of 20%.

The most common disbursements for Barrister’s fees and medical report fees attract VAT at the rate of 20%.

Expenses we incur on your behalf

These are commonly referred to as disbursements and are costs, other than our fees, related to your case. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

In an unfair or wrongful dismissal claim the most common disbursements will include barrister’s fees and our travel expenses. We typically instruct a barrister to represent you at the final hearing. Barrister’s fees for a final hearing are estimated between £1,000 to £3,000 plus VAT for the first day, including preparation, and thereafter between £750 to £2,000 plus VAT, for each additional day. The actual price will be determined by the complexity of the case and the seniority and experience of the barrister. Travel expenses are usually no more than £500 plus VAT.

The fee illustrations above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal case:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on your prospects of success in the claim and the likely compensation, although this is likely to be revisited throughout the case and subject to change.
• Entering into pre-claim conciliation with ACAS where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
• Preparing your claim or response.
• Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party.
• Exploring settlement and negotiating a settlement throughout the process.
• Preparing or considering a schedule of loss.
• Preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing.
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents.
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses.
• Preparing bundles of documents for the final hearing.
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
• Preparation and instructions to the barrister for the final hearing.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages and this will also reduce the cost.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

How long will my case take?

The time it takes from your initial instructions to the final resolution of your case depends largely on the stage at which it is resolved. Currently there are significant delays at Employment Tribunals in handling cases. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 3 – 4 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 36 weeks to . This is just an illustration and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the case progresses.

Who will be responsible for my case and how experienced are they?

All of our legal work is undertaken by qualified, talented and highly experienced solicitors who are all employment law experts and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Solicitors may be assisted by paralegals or trainees where it is appropriate to do so. You may ask for a specific member of our team to deal with your case, or otherwise we allocate work based on our own specialities, experience and availability. The full details of all of our solicitors, including their experience and qualifications can be found on the Team page.

Other information

The usual practice in the Employment Tribunal is that each party is responsible for paying their own costs, irrespective of the outcome. This means that you will be responsible for paying all your legal costs even if your case is successful.

We do not deal with cases on a no-win no-fee arrangement (damages-based agreements or conditional fee agreements), although are always happy to discuss funding methods with you. In some cases we may be able to offr a capped fee, please contact us to discus is this is possible.

If you want to find out more, or would like to discuss your particular requirements, please click here.