Employment Tribunals Pricing

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims of unfair or wrongful dismissal in the Employment Tribunal

The standard range of fees we charge are as follows:

• Simple case: £10,000 to £15,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
• Medium complexity case: £15,000 to £25,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
• High complexity case: £25,000 to £50,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements)

The above fees are on the assumption that case only has one claimant or defendant and does not involve multiple causes of action including discrimination or claims containing allegations of detriment relating to the making of a protected disclosure. In exceptional cases our charges may fall outside of the standard range of fees above.

Unless otherwise agreed, our charges are calculated by reference to the hourly charge rate of and time spent by our solicitors and assistants in dealing with the matter. Hourly charge rates vary depending on seniority and experience. We will invoice you on a monthly basis for the time spent on your matter.

If you would like to instruct us, we will take further details from you and then discuss and agree the specific charges with you. We will ensure that you are kept updated about the likely overall cost of your matter as the matter progresses.

You may have legal expenses insurance cover which may cover the costs of dealing with the claim. We advise you to check whether you have such cover before instructing us to act on your behalf.

Factors that could make a case more complex include

• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. bringing or defending a whistleblowing claim.
• Cases involving the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.
• Complex preliminary issues such as determining employment status or whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
• The number of witnesses and documents.
• If a hearing is postponed and rescheduled.
• If there is a Remedies Hearing to determine the level of compensation.
• Making or defending a costs application.

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 providing an initial assessment of the merits of the claim 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 and filing 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 agreed hearing bundle of documents.
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
• Instructing Counsel.
• Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing.

The stages set out above are an indication only. If some of these stages are not required the fee will be reduced. Equally, if additional stages are required the fee will increase. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as barristers fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. We then recover disbursements from you in addition to our fees for dealing with your matter.

The fees for a barrister to advise on a matter and attend a tribunal hearing (including preparation) and represent will vary depending on the experience of the barrister, the complexity of the case, the level of preparation required and the length of the hearing. Fees for a barrister to attend a one day hearing are likely to be within the range of £1,600 to £8,000 (excluding VAT).

Timescales

How long it will take from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter will largely depend on the stage at which the case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, the case is to take 4 to 6 weeks. Where the claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, it is likely to take 6 to 12 months to be heard. This is an estimate only and we will provide a more accurate timescale once we have taken your instructions and as the matter progresses.

Other Fees

To be added to the above standard range of fees are the administration costs of the following:

We will also recover from you any expenses we incur for dealing with your claim, such as our reasonable travel costs where it is necessary for us to attend a tribunal.