Employment Fees
Advice on employment situations
We charge £350 exc. VAT (£420 inc. VAT) for an hour’s appointment with a solicitor. Please also feel able to telephone us for advice without charge.
Settlement agreements
If your employer has asked you to seek independent legal advice (and they will usually pay the fee), our fees usually range between £350 and £550 exc. VAT (£420 and £660 inc. VAT).
Cases through to final hearing
Our pricing for bringing or defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal, through to a final hearing (note that if we reach a settlement along the way, the cost may be less)
| Simple case | £10,000 - £20,000 (exc. VAT) | £12,000 - £24,000 (inc. VAT) |
| Medium complexity case | £20,000 - £30,000 (exc. VAT) | £24,000 - £36,000 (inc. VAT) |
| High complexity case | £30,000 - £40,000 (exc. VAT) | £36,000 - £48,000 (inc. 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, or if there are interim hearings
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant has a disability or is time barred (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 per day exc. VAT or £2,400 per day inc. VAT. Generally, we would allow 1 day for a simple case, 2-5 days for a medium complexity case, 5 days plus for a high complexity case.
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.
Barristers’ fees estimated at £3,000 per day exc. VAT or £3,600 per day inc. VAT (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
Key stages
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 your barrister.
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be lower. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can be arranged according to 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 8 weeks, subject to limitation deadlines. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6 - 12 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.
Experts in Employment
- Hourly rate:
- £350p/h
