About Us
Employment Law Fees
Please see below an estimate of our costs for assisting with:
- ‘Simple’ Employment Tribunal claims (eg, for notice pay, redundancy pay, unpaid wages); and
- ‘Complex’ Employment Tribunal claims (eg, for unfair or constructive dismissal, discrimination, harassment, or unlawful detriment).
Costs information is provided for both individuals and businesses.
Our fees are calculated by reference to an hourly rate. The estimates below are based on an hourly rate of a Senior Associate solicitor within the Employment Department, being £250 plus VAT per hour (as at April 2024).
Please note however that the actual hourly rate(s) charged may be more or less, depending on the experience and seniority of whoever is appointed to deal with your claim. We also reserve the right to review and increase our hourly rates from time to time, although we would notify you in advance of any increase.
The estimates do not include disbursements, which would likely come in the form a barrister’s (Counsel’s) fees for representation at any mediation, or at a substantive Preliminary Hearing at which evidence is considered, or for the final hearing.
The key stages in an Employment Tribunal claim are:
STAGE 1 – Taking Instructions and Providing Initial Advice
At this stage we will take your initial instructions in relation to the case, review any relevant papers and documents, and advise you on the merits of the claim and the potential compensation.
STAGE 2 – Pre-Claim Conciliation and Preparing a Claim or Response
In the pre-claim stage it is mandatory to follow the ACAS Early Conciliation procedure. If a settlement has not been reached during Early Conciliation, we will prepare the claim or response on your behalf. We will continue to explore potential settlement throughout the case, and will continuously re-evaluate likely outcomes and compensation.
STAGE 3 – Preparing for and attendance at a Preliminary Hearing for Case Management
The Employment Tribunal will typically, though not always, arrange a Preliminary Hearing for case management purposes. This will involve consideration of the claims and issues in the case, completion of a case management agenda, instruction-taking and representation at a short hearing.
STAGE 4 – Preparing the Evidence
We will need to work with you to gather evidence and to organise it ready for a mutual exchange of documents with the other side. Requests for documents and information may need to be made and responded to, and the parties will be expected to cooperate to prepare a single bundle of the evidence that will be referred to at the final hearing.
STAGE 5 – Preparing for the Final Hearing
We will prepare for and arrange representation for you at the final hearing. This will involve preparing witness statements for you and anyone else who intends to give evidence at the final hearing. We may also provide instructions to Counsel to act on your behalf, and would provide you with ongoing advice, including in relation to any last-minute discussions about evidence or possible settlement.
The various elements of each stage of the case will vary on a case-by-case basis. The stages themselves may also be subject to change, depending on the issues in the case, or at the request of the parties or the Employment Tribunal. The complexity of the issues will increase the time that is required to conduct your claim. We have therefore provided cost estimates that are variable, dependent on the work that is required.
‘Simple’ Employment Tribunal claims
Timescale
The estimated timescale for these types of matters is 4 – 8 months, assuming the case proceeds to a final hearing.
Disbursements
Disbursements are any costs or expenses paid or to be paid to a third party on behalf of a client or trust (including any VAT element), save for office expenses such as postage and courier fees.
The most common disbursement for this type of work is Counsel’s (a barrister’s) fees for the final hearing. These will normally be between £1,500 and £5,000 plus VAT depending on barrister’s experience.
Estimate of Costs (excluding disbursements)
Stage 1: Taking Instructions and Providing Initial Advice: £600 to £1,500 plus VAT
Stage 2: Pre-Claim Conciliation and Preparing a Claim or Response: £900 to £2,100 plus VAT
Stage 3: Preparing for and attendance at a Preliminary Hearing: £600 to £900 plus VAT
Stage 4: Preparing the Evidence: £1,500 to £3,000 plus VAT
Stage 5: Preparing for the Final Hearing: £1,000 to £2,000 plus VAT
Total Estimate: £4,200 to £9,000 plus VAT (excluding disbursements)
Matters which may affect this estimate
We have made some assumptions when calculating this estimate. In particular, we have assumed:
That the hearing will be no longer than one day, that the hearing bundle will be no longer than one ring binder, that there will be no interim applications, no more than two witness statements, that your opponent has no more than two witness statements, that the preliminary hearing will last no longer than an hour, and that there will be no judicial mediation.
‘Complex’ Employment Tribunal claims
Timescale
The estimated timescale for these types of matters is 7 – 14 months, assuming the case proceeds to a final hearing.
Disbursements
Disbursements are any costs or expenses paid or to be paid to a third party on behalf of a client or trust (including any VAT element), save for office expenses such as postage and courier fees.
The most common disbursement for this type of work is Counsel’s (a barrister’s) fees for the final hearing. These will normally be between £5,400 and £10,000 plus VAT for a 3-day hearing.
Estimate of Costs (excluding disbursements)
Stage 1: Taking Instructions and Providing Initial Advice: £1,200 to £2,400 plus VAT
Stage 2: Pre-Claim Conciliation and Preparing a Claim or Response: £1,500 to £3,000 plus VAT
Stage 3: Preparing for and attendance at a Preliminary Hearing: £1,200 to £1,800 plus VAT
Stage 4: Preparing the Evidence: £3,600 to £7,200 plus VAT
Stage 5: Preparing for the Final Hearing: £2,100 to £5,400 plus VAT
Total Estimate: £9,600 to £19,800 plus VAT (excluding disbursements)
Matters which may affect this estimate
We have made some assumptions when calculating this estimate. In particular, we have assumed:
That the Preliminary Hearing will last no longer than 1 hour , your documents do not exceed one ring binder in total, the other side’s documents do not exceed one ring binder in total, that we will prepare two witness statements, the other side’s witness statements do not exceed two statements in total, that we will attend the hearing to assist you and Counsel (recommended), that the final hearing will not last longer than 3 days and that there will be no preliminary issues or further stages that require another preliminary hearing, or any expert evidence.
For a more detailed quote based on your specific circumstances please contact our Employment Team directly.
