Our Charges - Employment

Stuart has over 14 years experience as an Employment Law specialist Solicitor and is also qualified as a CEDR accredited Mediator.

Stuart  is supervised by our Head of Commercial Stewart Alcock, who is an Associate Solicitor.

We act for both Employers and Employees, providing specialist, practical and timely assistance when bringing or defending Employment Tribunal Claims.

We aim to respond to your telephone calls and emails within 24 hours but usually much sooner.

Please note that each case can vary and we will be able to tailor our quotation to your particular circumstances so please telephone or email Stuart to discuss your case in detail and to receive a tailored quote. As a general indication of the costs that can be involved in bringing or defending Wrongful or Unfair Dismissal Claims at Tribunal we have set out examples costs below. Where we have indicated the sums shown are “Plus VAT” tax will be added to theses sums at the current VAT rate which is at present 20%  

Unfair Dismissal and Wrongful Dismissal Claims:

As a generic guide to costs that may be incurred these claims can be divided into types of claims that are low, medium and high complexity. The value of the claim may not always be a clear indicator as to how much work may be involved which could be dependent on the facts of the case, how complex the legal arguments may be, how much documentation is needed and how many witnesses are required by the parties. 

A good indicator as to the amount of work that may be required when taking these additional factors into account is how many days in tribunal the case will need to deal with such legal argument, documents and witnesses evidence. Other elements which can add to the complexity of a case include the following:

• Dealing with claims where the other party is unrepresented
• Where additional types of claims are included such as whistleblowing or discrimination claims
• Costs applications
• Other interim applications such as applications for strike out or specific disclosure
• Additional preliminary hearings
•  Providing further written particulars of claim or grounds of defense or applying to amend the same
• Multiple parties
• Dealing with medical evidence
• Multiple disputed issues of law or fact

Therefore, as a general guide, cases of low complexity can usually be dealt with by the Employment Tribunal in 1-2 days, cases of medium complexity in 3-5 days and cases of high complexity take longer than 6 days.

Low complexity cases usually cost in the region of £7,500 - £10,000 plus 20% VAT for 1 day and up to about £12,000 plus VAT for 2 days at Tribunal.

Medium complexity cases usually cost in the region of between £12,000 – £25,000 plus 20% VAT for between 3-5 days in Tribunal.

Higher complexity cases are more difficult to estimate and it is not possible to give an upper cost estimate for these type of cases but they usually cost upwards of £25,000 plus 20% VAT.  The more days in Tribunal the more expensive the case is likely to cost.

The fee shown above includes:

• taking your instructions
• Assessing and advising on the case, and tactics
• Overseeing and assisting throughout with Tribunal proceedings including the drafting of documents such as the particulars of claim or grounds of resistance, disclosure lists, applications, witness statements, chronologies and lists of issues.  
• obtaining initial disclosure from the other party and exchanging disclosure
• dealing with schedules of loss
• dealing with case management hearings and orders
• briefing counsel where necessary (not including counsels fees)
• meetings, telephone calls and correspondence with you
• corresponding with the Tribunal and the other party or their solicitor
• Preparation of trial bundles where necessary (not including photocopying charges where incurred)
• attending court on the day and meeting with you before going into court where we represent you at court or meeting with you at Court and introducing you to Counsel where you are represented by a barrister.
• we will discuss the outcome of the case with you

The fee does not include:

• instruction of any expert witnesses
• counsel’s fees
• photocopying charges for bundles
• other sides costs
• advice and assistance in relation to special interim hearings
• advice or assistance in relation to any appeal
• mediation costs

Disbursements

Barristers

The cost for counsel to provide and advice on the strengths and weaknesses and prospects of your case is not included in the above fees.  Likewise, it is usual to appoint a qualified Barrister to represent you at Tribunal.  Barristers are specialist advocates who can assist in presenting your case at its highest.  The level of experience and skills and reputation of a barrister determines how much they charge.  We will assist in advising you on the level of barrister that would be appropriate for your matter and assist in negotiating their fee with their Clark.

Experts

In certain cases, expert evidence may be required to put forward your best possible case. It is unusual to require expert evidence albeit it is sometimes required.  The cost of an expert depends on the nature of the work and the level of expertise.

Travel

Mileage will be charged at a rate of 45p per mile measured from the office your Solicitor travels from or to the Court, meetings away from the office and any return journeys. Parking will be charged on top of this.

Photocopying

Disclosure bundles and trial bundles can contain many pages.  Where photocopying charges are incurred, these will not form part of the fees as detailed above.

Courier Charges

Fees for sending large parcels and or requiring personal delivery by courier

Timescales

Litigation can be a lengthy process and the more complex the claim the longer it can take to resolve. The more straightforward claims usually are concluded within 12 to 18 months. We cannot control the speed at which the other party or their solicitor works and how busy the Tribunal may be is also out of our control.  Where the Tribunal is particularly busy, or the matter is required to be listed for a multiple day hearing of over 3 days it can extend the time frames to accommodate a lengthy trial.