Our service and expertise

We have experienced lawyers who can help both employer and employee clients with employment law issues. The qualifications and experience of the key contacts can be seen by clicking here and then on the individual lawyer’s name.

If you have an employment law issue, we encourage you to telephone and speak to one of our lawyers. They will talk to you to find out details of the case, provide a quote of our likely fees, explain the process involved in resolving the issue and how long it is likely to take. This advice will be tailored to your particular circumstances.

We set out below information regarding our costs and then, specifically in relation to Employment Tribunals, the key stages and time estimates which apply regardless of whether you are an employer or an employee.

What are the costs of employment law advice?

We charge for our employment law services according to hourly rates for the time spent on your case. For senior lawyers (partners or those with 10+ years’ experience) these range between £280 and £310 plus VAT. For junior lawyers they range between £140 and £200 plus VAT. We also charge £40 plus VAT for the costs of verifying the identity of our client(s).

Costs for Employment Tribunal Claims

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal

Simple case: £10,000 to £20,000 plus VAT
Medium complexity case: £20,000 to £45,000 plus VAT
High complexity case: £45,000 and above plus VAT

We charge based on an hourly rate which varies depending on the member of staff dealing with your matter. Our lowest hourly rate is £140 and our highest hourly rate is £310. The seniority of the members of staff dealing with your case will depend on its complexity. We will discuss this with you when you instruct us.

Where VAT is stated to be payable this is currently at a rate of 20%.

Factors that could make a case more complex (and expensive) include the following:

  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person;
  • Cases involving a large number of allegations;
  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;
  • Making or defending a costs application;
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled or if the Tribunal has jurisdiction to deal with the case (if this is not agreed by the parties);
  • Where there are many witnesses or if there is need for an expert witness (e.g., a doctor);
  • Cases involving a large volume of documentation;
  • 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;
  • Where there are multiple respondents or claimants;
  • The length and number of hearings that are involved; and
  • The seniority of the lawyers working on your case.

There will be an additional charge for attending a tribunal hearing of between £900 and £1,800 per day (plus VAT) depending on the hourly rate of the member of staff. Generally, we would allow 2-10 days for a tribunal hearing depending on the complexity of your case (c.1-2 days for a simple case; 3-4 days for a medium case and 5 days or more for a complex case).

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties or to us, such as travel expenses, photocopying costs, expert’s fees and counsel’s fees. We normally handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process although we will normally require payment from you in advance of paying third parties.

The most significant disbursement will usually be counsel’s fees (the fees of the barrister who acts as advocate at the tribunal hearing). This will vary depending upon the experience and seniority of the barrister and the level of preparation involved. Counsel’s fees are estimated to range between £850 to £5,000 per day plus VAT 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 the claim or response for your approval, finalising and submitting it to the Employment Tribunal;
  • Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party;
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process (in accordance with your instructions);
  • Preparing or responding to 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 finalising their contents with witnesses;
  • Preparing the bundle of documents for the hearing;
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list as required; and
  • Preparation and attendance at the main hearing, including instructing Counsel.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This may also be arranged depending on 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 less than two months. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 12-24 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. As a general rule, the longer the estimated tribunal hearing, the longer it will take to get a hearing date. You should also note that some tribunals are reporting substantial delays in getting hearing dates, which means that even for the simplest of cases it could take in excess of 12 months to get a claim resolved.

Are there any different ways to fund an Employment Tribunal claim?

Legal expenses insurance: (‘LEI’) may cover some or all of your legal fees in pursuing or defending a claim in the Employment Tribunal. LEI is generally provided as an element of cover under the terms of an insurance policy, such as household insurance, directors & officers Insurance, public liability insurance, or as a membership benefit, such as with a trade union or a professional and/or business association.

You should check your insurance, banking and membership documents for possible cover. However, please note that where cover is provided, insurers will expect you to make reasonable efforts to settle claims where this is sensible and may withdraw funding if you do not comply with their guidance.

Conditional fee agreements: If you are an employee, we will consider offering conditional fees in high value claims where the prospects of success are very clear. We will require you to pay us to assess your case in the first instance. The cost of this will depend on the complexity of the issues, the number of parties involved and the volume of documentation we will need to read and consider to form a preliminary view. Assessments can usually take anything from between 3 and 6 hours and will depend on the hourly rate of the member of staff dealing with your matter.

Where we do agree a conditional fee arrangement you will only have to pay the fees relating to the claim if the claim is successful, either through settlement or through success at a tribunal hearing. The fees that you pay under a conditional fee will include an up-lift on our normal hourly rates. You will have to pay for disbursements, such as counsel’s fees or expert’s fees, and other expenses, such as travel expenses, photocopying costs, whether or not the case succeeds, as these fall outside the arrangement.