Tribunal Costs
We charge by reference to the hourly rate of the individuals who are carrying out work.
Harriet Gardner, Associate and Employment Team Leader, has significant experience in employment law including multifaceted, complex, cases including allegations relating to unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing. Harriet’s hourly rate is £295 plus VAT (charged at 20%). Charlotte Wallage is a trainee solicitor at this firm who is currently working in the Employment team. Charlotte’s hourly rate is £205 plus VAT (charged at 20%).
We are unable to give you a fixed fee, or a definitive quote, because it depends on the amount of time that is required, based on the particular circumstances. The complexity of bringing or defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal can vary significantly from case to case. It is also worth considering that the nature of the case can change as the claim progresses through the Employment Tribunal. For this reason, we have set out below a range of fees for cases of low, medium, and high complexity together with additional guidance on the sort of factors that can make a case more complex.
Our fees for bringing and defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal:
Simple case: £8,000 – £15,000 plus VAT (charged at 20%)
Medium complexity case: £15,000 – £20,000 plus VAT (charged at 20%)
High complexity case: £20,000 - £30,000+ plus VAT (charged at 20%)
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” (people representing themselves)
- Making or defending an application for payment of costs
- Complex preliminary issues such as deciding disability related issues (if such issues are not agreed by the parties)
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if a dismissal happens after blowing the whistle
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to a dismissal
- If the case involves a variety of claims
- If there is a requirement for expert evidence to be obtained
- If a separate hearing is required to decide the amount of the compensation
There will be an additional charge, if one of our team attends a Tribunal Hearing. Our costs for attending are likely to be between £2050 and £2,950 plus VAT (charged at 20%) based on 10 hours of time, depending on which team member is required. A typical Tribunal Hearing can take 1– 10 days, depending on the complexity of the case.
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the strength of the claim 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 a claim or a response to a claim
- Reviewing and advising on a claim or response from the other party
- Exploring the prospect of settling the claim and negotiating potential settlement throughout the process
- Preparing or considering a “Schedule of Loss” to set out the amount of compensation that is claimed
- Preparing for, and attending, a Preliminary Hearing
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a “bundle of documents” for use at the final hearing
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- Preparing a 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 a Final Hearing, including preparing instructions to Counsel
These stages are an indication. Some of the stages may not be required in your claim and, if that is the case, our fees will be reduced (within the range of fees above). You may wish to handle the matter yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your needs.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as, expert’s fees and barrister’s fees (called Counsel’s fees).
If instructing Counsel, their fee is usually incurred when they start to carry out work on the case. Counsel can be instructed for several reasons in a case (such as advice on the prospects of success or to draft a particular document).
If Counsel are instructed to represent a client at a hearing, they will usually charge a “brief fee” in addition to “refresher fees”. The brief fee usually covers the work that Counsel has done to prepare, in addition to the first day of the hearing. The refresher fee is usually a daily rate from the second, and subsequent, days required.
Brief fees are usually in the region of £1,500 to £12,000 plus VAT (charged at 20%), but it depends on the complexity of the case. Refresher fees can vary but are usually in the region of £1,250 to £3,000 plus VAT (charged at 20%) per day.
Costs may vary depending on the type of case, the complexity of the case and the seniority of the barrister used.
There will be an administrative charge of £12 plus VAT charged at 20% per client/beneficial owner at the outset of the matter in order for us to complete our anti-money laundering checks in compliance with regulatory requirement.
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 up to 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take between 6 to 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.
