Employment

Cost Transparency

Average Fees

Our average fees for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are set out below:
 
Simple Case £7,000-£10,000 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case £10,000-£15,000 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case £20,000-£30,000 (excluding VAT)

Factors that could make a case more complex:
  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide or request further information about an existing claim
  • If it is necessary to make or defend application about a claim or part of a claim being out of time.
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is an employee, whether they are disabled or whether a disclosure meets the legal definition of whistleblowing (if this is not agreed by the parties)
  • If it is necessary to have a preliminary hearing other than one preliminary hearing to deal with purely procedural matters
  • If the other side is not represented by a lawyer
  • The number of documents and the efficiency of the process by which you provide them to us
  • If it is necessary to make, consider or defend an application for specific disclosure
  • If it is necessary to make or review disclosure in more than one tranche.
  • The number of witnesses, the length of time over which alleged matters took place and the amount of evidence required from witnesses
  • Allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing which are linked to the dismissal and/or other types of automatic unfair dismissal claim.

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £1,000-£2,000 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 1-4 days depending on the complexity of your case although some more complex cases will last over 10 days.

Disbursements

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

Counsel's fees estimated as a brief fee of between £1,000-£15,000 and then between £800-£2,000 per additional day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

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
  • 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 (if required)
  • 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. This can also be arranged on your individual 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 conciliation, your case is likely to take 4-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 26-52 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.