Employment
We advise on all types of employment issues and charge a mixture of fixed fees and hourly rates. The hourly rates of our employment lawyers range from £255 plus VAT to £310 plus VAT. Employment law is complex and subject to ever changing regulations. It also has strict time limits in respect of any claim that you may have.
If you call us to discuss your issue whether it be a Settlement Agreement, advice on drafting of a service contract or a claim, we can have an initial discussion with you and will then be able to advise whether we can act on a fixed fee basis or on an hourly rate basis with an estimate as to our fees.
With regard to bring and defending Employment Tribunal claims (for wrongful dismissal or unfair dismissal) as a general guide our pricing is:
Simple case – between £5,000.00 to £10,000.00 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
Medium complexity case – between £10,000.00 to £18,000.00 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
High complexity case – between £18,000.00 to £45,000.00 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
It is extremely difficult to give an accurate estimate of the total amount of fees you’re likely to incur in the employment tribunal proceedings as each case is assessed on its own facts and merits. We will be able to give you a more accurate estimate once we have further information from you on your proposed claim which we can then update as the matter progresses.
There are factors that explain how a case becomes more complex from a simple case and these are:
- Its value.
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications.
- To amend a claim or to provide further information about an existing claim.
- Defending a claim brought by a litigant in person.
- Making or defending cost applications.
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
- The number of witnesses and documents and the length of any hearing.
- The number of provisional decisions that are needed to be given during the course of a legal action by the Tribunal requiring attendance by the parties.
- 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 – this is charged at seven hours for the solicitor’s time for each day of the hearing that you wish the solicitor to attend with Counsel rather than Counsel alone.
Likely extra expenses – Disbursements
Disbursements are cost related to your matter but payable to third parties such as Counsel’s fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf.
Counsel’s fees range from £700.00 to £2,500.00 plus VAT per day depending on the experience of the advocate attending the Tribunal hearing. There will be additional charges for preparation for hearing, drafting conference and other work. We will discuss these fees with you prior to incurring them.
Insurance
You may have insurance that covers your legal expenses for your claim. This is often purchased as an “add on” to a motor or home policy or in conjunction with a commercial policy for a business. It covers the legal costs associated with bringing or defending an action including the policy holder’s own legal fees and the other party’s costs should they lose.
This can be a valuable product saving you time, money and unnecessary stress in return for a relatively small premium. We will discuss this with you at the beginning of your case to see if you have such insurance.
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all the work in relation to the following stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising on the merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change).
- Preparing the claim or preparing a response to a claim.
- Reviewing and advising on a claim or a 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 contents with the witnesses.
- Preparing bundle of documents.
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s Witness Statements.
- Agreeing a list of issues, a Chronology and completing other requirements needed for a hearing or a final hearing.
- Preparation and attendance at the final hearing including Instructions to Counsel.
The above is an indication and there are cases where some of the stages are not required. If that is the case, you will not be charged for this. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and seek assistance from us in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged as a result of further discussions at the beginning of your case.
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 resolves. If settlement is reached during conciliation prior to issuing the claim, your case is likely to take 4 to 6 weeks.
If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, then your case is likely to take 12 – 18 months. 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.
Who will do the work?
Our employment services are provided by our litigation team who are senior solicitors and a legal executive supported by secretary/administrator
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