Our employment team acts for individuals and businesses throughout the UK and in employment tribunals in Scotland, England and Wales.

We set out below our pricing & costs guide for bringing or defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal as required by the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority Transparency Rules. For likely costs of any other employment-related work please speak to an individual team member.

Costs vary depending on individual circumstances, the complexity of the case and the level of solicitor acting. The following is general guidance on fees. If you do decide to engage us to act on your behalf, we will provide you with an estimate of fees and an explanation of the basis on which fees will be charged once we have met with you.

Work up to but not including Final Hearing

Simple case: £10,000-£20,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

Medium complexity case: £20,000-£45,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

High complexity case: £45,000-£85,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

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 (the initial consultation is charged), 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 with Acas where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
• Preparing claim or response form and paper apart;
• 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 relevant documents;
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
• Preparing bundle of documents;
• Reviewing and advising on the other party's evidence;
• Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list;
• Preparation for attendance at Final Hearing, including instructing Counsel if appropriate.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above 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 can also be arranged on your individual needs.

Final Hearing costs

There will be an additional charge for representation at a Tribunal Hearing of £1,800 - £3,000 per day (excluding VAT, charged at 20%). The number of days a Full Hearing will require depends on the complexity of your case and can range generally from 1 to 10 days. In discussion with you we may instruct Counsel (a Barrister or Advocate) to present your case where appropriate. In that event our daily attendance fee will be reduced, and Counsel’s fee would be an additional cost (estimated between £1,500 to £3,500 per day plus vat). Counsel’s fee will vary according to the level of seniority and experience of Counsel that any particular claim may merit. We will discuss this with you in the event we recommend Counsel should be appointed.

Basis of charge

Other than where we have agreed a fixed fee, we charge based on an hourly rate (plus vat at 20%) which varies depending on the member of our team dealing with your matter. Our lowest hourly rate is £200, and our highest hourly rate is £305. 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.

You should check to see whether you have some other form of funding a legal case available to you. You may not be aware that your home and contents insurance or director’s insurance might pay your legal fees. In that event you are entitled to representation of your choice and are not required to instruct your insurer’s chosen solicitors.

We do not take cases on a contingency or no-win-no fee basis.

Complexity

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
• A Preliminary Hearing on substantive matters such as whether the claim is out of time or whether the tribunal has jurisdiction to hear the claim
• Complex preliminary issues arise
• The number of witnesses and documents
• An ‘automatic’ unfair dismissal claim e.g. whistleblowing
• There are allegations of discrimination linked to the dismissal
• A high value claim or a claim that has wider implications for your business
• A high level of support is required

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs paid to third parties.

There are no administrative fees payable to a tribunal for bringing or defending a claim.

In some instances, it will be necessary to instruct third parties (for example to prepare a report, construct document bundles, provide a transcript, provide medical records or expert evidence) who will charge you separately and, if paid through us, will appear as disbursements on our account.

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 6 to 10 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6 to 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.