Employment Tribunal fees - Employees

Thank you for viewing our Employment Law Pricing page.

We offer a first fixed fee interview at a cost of £100.00 plus VAT at which we will assess the merits of your case.  Thereafter our usual fees for bringing claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal are set out below and are based on three bands.

If you have legal expenses insurance, sometimes this can cover your legal fees, or we may be prepared to offer a no win no deal retainer, both of which we can discuss with you.  Please be aware that in most unfair and wrongful dismissal claims each party is responsible to pay its own legal costs irrespective of who wins the case

Employment law cases vary and each case is different.  There will be various issues relating to your claim that need taking into consideration when deciding what your total legal fees are likely to be. We will make an assessment and inform you of the likely overall fees at the outset and throughout the claim, if we consider these fees will be exceeded. 

Typical costings outlining the 3 bands are set out below:

Fees

UNFAIR OR WRONGFUL DISMISSAL CLAIM	Fees/Range of Fees	VAT	Total
Simple claim defined as: an unfair dismissal claim with a hearing lasting one day	£7,500 - £10,000	£1,500 - £2,000	£9,000 - £12,000 including VAT
Medium claim defined as: an unfair dismissal claim with a hearing lasting 2-3 days	£10,000 - £15,000	£2,000 - £3,000	£12,000 - £18,000 including VAT
Complex claim defined as: an unfair dismissal claim with a hearing lasting 3 days or more	£15,000 - £25,000	£3,000 - £5,000	£18,000 - £30,000 including VAT

Fees are based on an hourly rate of £210.00 plus VAT for an experienced person to handle the claim.

DISBURSEMENTS

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Counsel’s fees.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Counsel’s fees.

Should you need to obtain the services of a Barrister, typically Counsel's fees are estimated between £1,000 and £5,000 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation, which will vary case to case). We will obtain an accurate fee estimate, based on your individual case, from Counsel in advance of any hearing.

What is not included in the above price structure

• If issues in the case become more complex or any unforeseen issues arise, we will make sure you are informed of this and a clear estimate of any additional fees or disbursements will be provided.
• Factors that may lead to an increase in fees or disbursements include:
• Making any application to amend your claim or to provide further information about an existing claim
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
• The conduct of your opponent or their legal representative, including but not limited to, the need to make or respond to any applications to the Tribunal
• Making or defending a costs application
• The number of documents and witnesses
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
• If there are allegations of discrimination linked to the dismissal or other complex issues
• Preliminary issues which may need to be determined by a Tribunal first
• Liaising with any third parties such as legal expenses insurers and agreeing fees increases

Time Scales

If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take up to 6-8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take up to 9-12 months.

Key Stages

There are key stages in every Employment Tribunal claim, however some may vary according to individual circumstances. They may be as follows:

• 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 is subject to change)
• Entering into pre-claim conciliation, where this is mandatory, to explore whether a settlement is possible;
• Preparing your claim, drafting it and submitting it to the Tribunal
• Reviewing and advising on the response from the other party
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process, if applicable
• Preparing or considering a Schedule of Loss (setting out the compensation you are seeking)
• Preparing for (and attending) any preliminary hearings, if required
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses and exchanging with the other party
• Preparing bundle of documents
• Reviewing and advising on the other party's Witness Statements
• Preparing and agreeing a List of Issues, a Chronology and/or Cast List
• Updating the Schedule of Loss
• Drafting instructions to Counsel and liaising with Counsel
• Preparation and attendance at the final hearing
• Advising on any Tribunal judgment