Employment Pricing and Service Information for Unfair and Wrongful Dismissal Claims

In accordance with SRA Transparency Rules in price and service we are setting out  pricing information about bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal claims.  This information serves as a range of pricing for the range of employment services and employment claims. For an estimate of likely costs that may apply to your specific case please contact us directly on a no obligation basis to discuss the unique issues of your case, budget and funding arrangements.

Our employment team has a wealth of experience in employment law matters both for claimants and for defendants of claims.    One or more of our employment solicitors and paralegals may work on your case under the supervision of a partner within the team.   Our team members have different charge out rates depending upon level of experience.  Our hourly charge out rates range between £90 – £175.00 plus VAT for paralegals and trainee solicitors and between £200 to £465 plus VAT for Assistant solicitors, Associates, Senior Associates and Partners.  We will aim to allocate the most suitable team members  to work on your case which will depend upon complexity of issues, experience, timing and availability and your budget.  Click here to see our employment solicitors.  Who We Are.

A range of our costs (excluding disbursements)

Simple case: £15,000 – £30,000 (excluding VAT)

Medium complexity case: £30,000 – £75,000  (excluding VAT)

High complexity case: £75,000-£200,000* (excluding VAT)

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend any applications, e.g. 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)
• If multiple preliminary hearings are required, or if it involves contested witness evidence
• 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
• Personal injury claims linked to the Employment Tribunal claim
• If there are multiple claimants or defendants in the case.
• If there are jurisdictional issues
• If there are related claims to add to the proceedings eg bonus claims or status issues.
• If there are time limit issues or matters need to be dealt with very urgently

[The above estimates take into account a Tribunal hearing of no more than 1 day for simple hearings and 3 days for medium to high complexity hearings.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, Counsel’s fees,  travel or courier fees,  copying charges, expert fees such as surveyors, medical experts, accountancy fees that may be relevant to your case. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel’s fees are estimated between £750 to £7,000 **(plus VAT) per day (depending on complexity of the issue and the experience of the advocate, e.g.  for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).  The typical cost is around £1,000 to £3,500 per day. Counsel may also be instructed to advise on particular matters or draft particular documents during your case. In that situation they would usually charge based on an hourly rate, which typically would range from £100-450 per hour plus VAT.

Key stages

The fees 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 to include if appropriate Pre-action ACAS Early Conciliation
• 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 stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. If so we will discuss your individual needs with you.

Mediation.

Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution is likely to be an important aspect and stage of any litigation.  If you wish to participate in a formal mediation please note that the mediators fees and our costs are not be included in the above range of fees. We will be happy to look at mediation costs to suit your budget and needs.

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 early conciliation process, your case is likely to take between 4- 8 weeks.

Unfortunately, there are no definite timeframes when bringing a claim in the Employment Tribunal. As a guide, the tribunal states that simple cases should be concluded within nine months of issuing proceedings. However, the time frame is often dependant on which part of the country your case is being heard and the type of claim. We recommend that if your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, you prepare that that your case is likely to take between 5 – 18 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.

The above costs information is indicative only of costs and not a quote for fees. To receive a tailored estimate of costs for your particular matter please contact Sharokh Koussari​ at [email protected]or by telephone +44 (0) 20 7408 8867.