Employment Law

We offer a fixed price initial consultation at £250.00 + vat (£300.00 inclusive of vat) and at the meeting we can guide you through the options available to resolve issues and reach a suitable solution.

Those hourly rates are:

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £295.00 + vat (£354.00 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £247.00 + vat (£296.40 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Solicitor/Legal Executive/Fee Earner: £201.00 + vat (£241.20 inclusive of vat)

Trainee Solicitor/Paralegal/Fee Earner: £142.00 + vat (£170.40 inclusive of vat)
(under 4 years’ experience)

VAT is charged at 20%

The normal range of costs for dealing with a non-tribunal matter is from £1000 plus vat (£1200.00 inc vat) to £20,000 plus vat (£24,000 incl vat)

Those hourly rates are:

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £295.00 + vat (£354.00 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £247.00 + vat (£296.40 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Solicitor/Legal Executive/Fee Earner: £201.00 + vat (£241.20 inclusive of vat)

Trainee Solicitor/Paralegal/Fee Earner: £142.00 + vat (£170.40 inclusive of vat)
(under 4 years’ experience)

VAT is charged at 20%

The normal range of costs for dealing with a non-tribunal matter is from £1000 plus vat (£1200.00 inc vat) to £20,000 plus vat (£24,000 incl vat)

Employment Law Advice – Tribunals

Employment Tribunal claims are very varied in their complexity, and it is difficult to provide a definitive quotation.

The legal costs of an Employment Tribunal claim will be determined by the complexity of the matter, the time taken to carry out the work, and will dependent upon who is dealing with it and their hourly rate.

Those hourly rates are:

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £295.00 + vat (£354.00 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Senior Solicitor/Legal Executive: £247.00 + vat (£296.40 inclusive of vat)
(over 8 years’ experience)

Solicitor/Legal Executive/Fee Earner: £201.00 + vat (£241.20 inclusive of vat)

Trainee Solicitor/Paralegal/Fee Earner: £142.00 + vat (£170.40 inclusive of vat)
(under 4 years’ experience)

VAT is charged at 20%

Price Range For Dealing With Various Cases Are As Follows:

Simple case: £6,000 – £7,500 (excluding VAT charged at 20%).

Medium complexity case: £7,500 – £17,500 (excluding VAT charged at 20%).

High complexity case: £17,500 – £26,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%).

Factors That Could Make A Case More Complex And Increase The Costs:

• 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 such as whether the claimant is disabled (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;
• The number of days a Final Hearing is listed for. This will be known early on in the case so a more accurate costs estimate can be given.

Counsel’s fees are estimated between £2,250 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) to £4,500 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) per day (depending on the experience of the barrister) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation). We will obtain estimates and seek your approval of their fees before we formally instruct on your behalf.

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 ACAS pre-claim early 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 Counsel if Counsel are used.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. A large part of the costs in a case are incurred at the end of the end in the preparation for and attendance at the Final Hearing. If a case settled early on the costs will be significantly less than the ranges given above. You may also wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages, for example drafting the claim or defence and drafting witness statements. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

The estimated costs set out above do not include claims in the Civil Court, for example claims for wrongful dismissal. They also do not cover advice on or making any appeal from a decision of the employment tribunal.

However, if the matter does not settle and the claim proceeds in the Employment Tribunal, 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 ACAS early conciliation, your case is likely to take 4-12 weeks depending on how early you instruct us. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 9 – 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.

In certain circumstances, having considered initial documentation, we may offer a fixed fee arrangement. In these circumstances, we will agreed the fixed fee and what work it will cover with you in advance of undertaking any work.

Personal insurance policies may provide legal expense cover which may be used to fund your employment dispute. Policies can be reviewed at the initial consultation stage if applicable.