Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for ordinary, unfair or wrongful dismissal only is as follows.
If the claim includes any element of discrimination, regulatory issues or whistleblowing we will provide a bespoke price for that claim.
Our Legal Fees
Please note that our fees below exclude VAT. VAT is chargeable on our fees at 20%.
We cannot give an exact cost for this work as it will depend on the complexity of the claim(s) that are being brought against the company. However, we have set out below a pricing range which shows you our charges for dealing with a claim from the start up to (but not including) a Tribunal hearing according to its complexity.
We charge based on an hourly rate which varies depending on the member of staff dealing with your matter. Outside of London, our Solicitors/Legal Executives lowest hourly rate is £220 and our highest hourly rate is £445. In London, our Solicitors/Legal Executives lowest hourly rate is £245 and our highest hourly rate is £585. The seniority of the members of staff dealing with your case will depend on its complexity. We will discuss this with you when you instruct us.
Our Prices
|
|
Outside Of London |
London |
| Simple Case |
£6,000 - £15,000 |
£12,000 - £30,000 |
| Medium Complexity Case |
£15,000 - £30,000 |
£30,000 - £50,000 |
| Complex Case |
£30,000 - £60,000+ |
£50,000 - £100,000+ |
Tribunals
There may be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal hearing of £1,400 – £3,000 per day (plus VAT at 20%) depending on the seniority of the fee earner involved. Generally, we would allow 1-5 days, depending on the complexity of your case.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable by you to third parties, such as court fees, travel costs, and fees of obtaining reports from experts, the cost of which will depend on whether you are making or defending a claim. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Counsel’s fees estimated between £500-4000 per day plus VAT charged at 20% (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
Factors That Could Make A Case More Complicated
- If it's necessary to make or defend applications, to amend claims or defences, or to provide information about an existing claim
- If it's necessary to request further information as part of the Tribunal proceedings
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claim is in time or the tribunal has jurisdiction to hear it
- The number of witnesses and documents
- The length of the hearing
- If it's an automatic unfair dismissal claim, e.g. if you are dismissed after making a protected disclosure (known as “blowing the whistle”) on your employer
- The number of witnesses and documents needed at the Tribunal hearing (the higher the number, the more complex the claim)
- Specific regulations or other legal issues that apply to your profession or occupation
Key Stages
Our legal fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the 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 for and 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 for the Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel if Counsel is used.
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee may 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 Application Take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take between 4-8 weeks. If your claim cannot be settled, it can take up to 18 months before the final hearing takes place. This will depend on the location of the Tribunal (London Tribunals tend to be busier than those in other parts of the country) and how long the hearing is expected to last. 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 matter progresses.
Alternative Ways To Fund Claims Or Defences
Bringing a claim – you may have Legal Expenses Insurance as part of your car or household contents insurance policy. This type of insurance may cover your legal costs for bringing an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal claim. We do not offer “no win, no fee” arrangements.
In exceptional cases we may be willing to discuss alternative funding arrangements with you.
Defending a claim - We offer employers a fixed fee, employment law and HR advisory service. The cost of defending an employment tribunal claim will be charged separately to this service but we may be able to offer capped fees. In addition, in some circumstances, we may be able to offer optional employment tribunal insurance to cover the legal fees and any award made against the organisation.
The above fees are indicative only. At the outset of any claim we will provide you with a clear and upfront cost estimate. We will update that estimate as the case progresses.
