Fees and Charges

EMPLOYMENT

Our Employment Department has over 47 years’ experience in delivering high quality work in a variety of employment law matters, including those relating to claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal and redundancy. The Department accepts instructions from both employers and employees. The Department has particular expertise in advising on and considering Redundancy matters and Settlement Agreements following termination of employment.

Each member of the team will work individually on your matter with you to ensure the best possible outcome for you.

There will be overall supervision by the Head of Department; Colin Nowlan.

Our estimated costs for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are as follows:

Any reference to Value Added Tax (VAT) means VAT at the prevailing rate, which is currently 20%.

Simple case: £700-£900 (plus VAT)

Medium complexity case: £3,000-£5,000 (plus VAT)

High complexity case: £10,000-£12,000 (plus VAT)

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• 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

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £1,500 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow a half a day to three days depending on the complexity of your case.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees or barrister’s (counsel’s) fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may arise. We will of course update you on any fees or expenditure that may need to be incurred on your behalf. Disbursements shown are accurate as at 19^th March 2020 and may be subject to change.

Counsel’s fees are estimated at between £2,000 – £6,000 plus VAT per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

Veriphy (AML) fee of £3.50 plus VAT per person.

Key stages

The estimated costs 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 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

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the costs 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 based on your individual needs. 

How long will my matter take?

The time that your matter may take from receiving 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 seven to nine weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 24-26 weeks. 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.

It is important to note the above costs and charges are for guidance only. It is often not possible to provide an accurate overall price for legal services. Therefore, such costs and charges for our services may be subject to change depending on a variety of matters, including individual circumstances and following discussions with you, both at the outset and as the matter proceeds. We can give you a more accurate estimate and agree a budget with you once we have sight of your specific documents.