EMPLOYMENT FEES
Please note that this is not a comprehensive guide to our fees and does not cover all work and advice that we provide for individuals (employees) and businesses (employers). Our specialist employment solicitors will be happy to provide you with a bespoke quotation depending on the nature of the advice, work required.
Our fees for bringing and defending claims for Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal may well change once you have provided us with all the relevant information and therefore, usually we recommend an initial consultation with one of our team to discuss your individual circumstances before you instruct us so that we can give you a more accurate figure.
Our team can offer you two fee options:
- A fixed fee which will not change unless the scope of the work changes significantly.
- Hourly rate fee, for an agreed scope of work.
Our hourly rates range from £250 – 400 plus VAT.
We will not proceed with our work until you have agreed the basis on which you wish to proceed.
Types of cases
Below are examples of average fees for different cases, but please bear in mind that no case is the same:
Simple case: £6,000 to £10,000 plus VAT.
Medium complexity case: £10,500 to £15,000 plus VAT.
High complexity case: £16,000 to £40,000 plus VAT.
What could make a case more complex and affect the fees?
- 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 a claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties) or issues relating to limitation dates
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. dismissal after blowing the whistle on an employer
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
The fee estimates above do not include the charge for a member of our team attending any Tribunal Hearing which is charged at the hourly rate for a 7 hour day for each day of the hearing.
Disbursements
There may be expenses related to your claim which are payable to third parties for example:
- Court fees.
- Counsel’s fees which could range from £750 to £4,000 per day (plus VAT depending on the experience of the barrister)
We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and you will be required to make a payment on account of any disbursements before they are incurred.
Stages of a claim
The following are the key stages of an employment tribunal claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation
- Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing claim or response or reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
- preparing or considering a schedule of loss
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel.
The stages set out above give a broad indication, if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be adjusted to reflect this, or you may choose to undertake some of the preparation yourself, in which case we are happy to discuss this with you and adjust the fee accordingly.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved which makes it difficult to give an accurate estimate. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 1-4 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 9-18 months. This is just an estimate and depends on a variety of factors such as the capacity of the Employment Tribunals, co-operation from the other side and the complexity of the case itself. We will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
Please note we advise on employment but not on any tax or pensions aspects of these claims. If you need specific advice on these matters we can arrange for you to receive this from other specialists in these fields.
The Hourly Fees that our solicitors charge is based upon their seniority and experience:
John Riddett - £400 p/h
Kaajal Nathwani - £300 p/h
Liam Rochford - £150 p/h
VAT will be added at 20%
