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Employment Fees

*All costs are subject to VAT which is currently at 20%.

Our general fees for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal:

Simple case                                                               £1,000.00 – £2,000.00 (excluding VAT)

Medium complexity case                                       £3,000.00 – £5,000.00 (excluding VAT)

High complexity case                                             £4,000.00 – £5,000.00 (excluding VAT)

Factors that could make a case more complex

    • 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 is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)

    • The number of witnesses and documents

    • If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer

    • Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £2,000.00 per day (excluding VAT).   Generally we would allow 1-3 days depending on the complexity of the case.

Where tribunal proceedings are necessary

If tribunal proceedings are necessary, then we would need to review the funding for this at the time. We would seek to enter into a new agreed (or further agreed) rate to cover the periods of the process leading up to and including the tribunal hearing. Those fees are on average between £1,250- £1,850 plus VAT to prepare and issue the proceedings at the tribunal, and between £6,000- £15,000 plus VAT to take it right up to the tribunal hearing. The fees will be less this if the case settles at any point prior to a full hearing. It may also be necessary to instruct a barrister for the hearing who can charge on average £2,500 – £5,000 plus VAT for a 1 day hearing in tribunal (including all preparation). This is known as a disbursement.

Wrongful dismissal

Wrongful dismissal claims are very rare. The maximum amount that can be awarded at tribunal is £25,000 and this usually involves a claim of breach of contract for non- payment of notice. If we took your case on, then the fees would reflect the position set out above for unfair dismissal.  If the sum claimed is higher than this, the claim would need to be brought in the civil courts, rather than employment tribunal and we would not deal with this as it is more of a litigation issue. We are not including our fees for wrongful dismissal through the courts, because it is not something we would deal with, and so there are no averages or specifics that we can provide.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.  We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel’s fees estimated between £2,500.00 to £5,000.00 plus vat per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation)

What our service offering includes / Key Stages included:

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

  • Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change);

  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;

  • Preparing claim or response;

  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party;

  • Exploring settlement and negotiating 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 bundle of documents;

  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;

  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list;

  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including Instructions to Counsel.

We also provide a Settlement Agreement Service.  The costs of approving a straightforward Settlement Agreement are normally between £250.00- £500.00 plus VAT.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above 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.   This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

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.  If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take weeks.  If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the mater progresses.

Qualifications and experience

Any of our lawyers who will work on your case are qualified solicitors and have experience of not less than 3-5 years if not more in employment law.

In some cases, our paralegals will liaise with you in relation to the mechanics of your case and will provide a support role, however only qualified solicitors will be advising you and dealing with the day to day interaction with your employers and/or their solicitors.

We are happy at any time to clarify our costs or any of the above, together with other employment law claims.