Our Services

Our likely costs for defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal in the Employment Tribunals are:

• Simple Case: £3,000.00 to £7,000.00 (excluding VAT)
• Medium Complexity Case: £6,000.00 to £25,000.00 (excluding VAT)
• High Complexity Case: £25,000.00 to £50,000.00 (excluding VAT)

Please note that all costs will be subject to VAT (at the prevailing rate of 20%) and are approximate.

There are a wide variety of factors that could make a claim more complex. For example:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
• Acting against a litigant in person (i.e. someone who is not legally represented) or someone who has a friend or family member acting on their behalf
• Making or defending an application for costs
• Dealing with complex preliminary issues
• The number of witnesses or documents

Claims that involve allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing can be very complex and our costs may exceed those set out above.

Key Stages

The costs set out above cover all of the work involved in the following key stages of claim:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the strength of your case and any likely compensation you may have to pay though it is important to note that this will be reviewed throughout the life of your claim
• Entering into pre-claim conciliation (where this is mandatory) to explore whether settlement can be reached
• Preparation of a response to the claim
• Exploring and negotiating potential settlement throughout the process
• Reviewing and responding to a Schedule of Loss / preparing a Counter Schedule of Loss
• Preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing the Tribunal Documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their contents with witnesses and reviewing 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 instructing Counsel (a Barrister)

It is important to note that the stages set out above are indicative only and some of the stages may not be required in which case your costs would be reduced accordingly. You can also handle the claim yourself, only seeking our advice regarding some of the stage. In these circumstances, appropriate charges can be agreed depending on your individual circumstances.

Hearing

There will be an additional charge of £1,450.00 per day (excluding VAT) for attending a Tribunal Hearing. The length of a Tribunal Hearing entirely depends on the complexity of the claim but, it is generally expected to be 1 – 5 days.

Disbursements

Disbursements are expenses we incur on your behalf which are payable to third parties, such as Court fees or Barrister’s costs. The costs quoted above do not include disbursements.

We handle payment of disbursements on a client’s behalf to ensure a smoother process.

If a Barrister is instructed to attend a Tribunal Hearing on your behalf, we would expect their fees for one-day to be between £1,500.00 and £5,000.00 excluding VAT (depending on their experience).

Barrister’s fees are typically charged between £500.00 and £1,000.00 for each additional day thereafter for attendance a tribunal hearing.

Funding

You may wish to explore whether you have any other funding options available to you. For example, you may have an insurance policy which may cover some or all of your legal fees.

How long will the claim take?

The length of your claim largely depends on the stage at which your case is resolved. According to HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the average time between starting a claim and receiving a decision is currently 59.6 weeks, although there are a number of factors that can affect the duration of your claim, including its complexity. If a settlement can be achieved throughout the process, your claim can be resolved at a much earlier stage. However, if your case is particularly complex, it may take between 18 and 24 months. Unfortunately, current Court and Tribunal backlogs are extending the length of time it can take to resolve a claim.