We usually work on the basis of hourly rates, although we may be able to agree fixed fees in some cases. It is difficult to estimate the full costs of dealing with a claim as each claim will involve different facts and complexities. We do not offer conditional fee agreements, damages based agreements or ‘no win no fee’ type arrangements.
Employment Dispute Costs
Our estimated pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal vary according to the complexity of the matter.
- Simple case: £4,000-£7,000 + VAT
- Medium complexity case: £7,000-£12,000 + VAT
- High complexity case: £12,000-£25,000 + VAT.
The estimated costs set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of pursuing or defending 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 the claim form or response.
- Reviewing and advising on the claim or response received from the other party.
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the case.
- Preparing or considering the 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 the bundle of documents for use in evidence at the hearing.
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
- Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or a cast list.
- Preparation for the Final Hearing, including instructions preparing instructions to Counsel.
The stages set out above are an indication of the work required to deal with an Employment Tribunal case to conclusion. If some of stages above are not required, the fee will be less. 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 which need to be dealt with.
- A higher number of witnesses and/or larger volume of documents.
- Automatically unfair dismissal claims e.g. those involving dismissals allegedly linked to whistleblowing or health and safety complaints.
- Claims featuring allegations of discrimination linked to the dismissal.
Our Costs
Our cost estimates are based on the complexity of the matter and the hourly rates of the team members advising on the matter:
| Work undertaken by: | Cost per hour (exclusive of VAT) |
| Partner | £300 |
| Senior Associate Solicitor | £235 |
| Associate Solicitor | £225 |
| HR Consultant | £155 |
| Trainee Solicitor | £135 |
| Paralegal | £105 |
Work will be allocated to team members with a view to undertaking the work as efficiently and economically as possible for you.
There will be additional charges for attendance at Final Hearings, based on our hourly rates. Generally, we would anticipate 1 to 2 days for a simple case and anywhere from 2 to 10 days for more complex cases (which may include issues such as discrimination which go beyond unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal).
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. A likely disbursement in an Employment Tribunal case is Counsel’s fees. These are estimated at between £1,000-£3,500 + VAT per day (depending on experience and specialism) for representation at an Employment Tribunal Hearing. Additional conferences with Counsel regarding merits of the claim or strategy at any part of the claim process will be separately and additionally chargeable.
Meet our Employment and HR team
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