Employment Tribunal claims

 

Our fees for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are based on our standard rate of £190 p/h (+VAT). If you're on a subscription plan a discount will be applied to your rate. When you create your case you will be informed by your lawyer the hourly rate your legal quote will be based on. You can find out more about how our rate work here.

We will discuss how you might pay or fees before any work is started. Funding options might include insurance for legal expenses that you may have as an individual, for example with your home and contents insurance.

The fee summaries given below are examples of the range of costs for a claim for unfair or wrongful and are dismissal case, a medium complexity case and a highly complex case:

  • Simple case: £6,000-£10,000 (+VAT)
  • Medium complexity case: £10,000-£14,000 (+VAT)
  • High complexity case: £14,000-£20,000 (+VAT)

 

Factors that could make a case more complex

  • If there are complex preliminary issues
  • If there are allegations of discrimination or if you are disabled which are linked to the dismissal
  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
  • Making or defending a costs application
  • The number of witnesses and documents
  • If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim for example where you are dismissed for blowing the whistle on your employer

If your case requires more than one day hearing at the Employment Tribunal, there will be an additional daily fee of £1,500 to £1,750 (+VAT).

 

Disbursements

There are also additional costs known as disbursements. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and advocacy fees. At the moment there are no court fees to bring or defend a claim in the Employment Tribunal. Advocacy fees are payable if you wish to instruct Counsel (a barrister),  to prepare your case prior to a hearing and to represent you at the hearing.

Barrister’s fees range from £1,250 (+VAT) per day, up to £2,000 (+VAT) per day. One day of Tribunal Hearing attendance is included in the fee summaries above.

Other likely disbursements include photocopying charges, courier charges, travel and accommodation expenses.

 

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 documentation and advising you on the merits of your claim and whether your claim might succeed and if it might, the likely compensation that you might be awarded. The merits of a claim are reviewed regularly and may be subject to change
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached
  • Preparing your claim or response
  • Reviewing and advising on your claim or response from other party
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
  • Preparing your 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 one day of 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 may 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 claim 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 four to six months. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take six to twelve 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.

 

Get started on a claim

If you're ready to discuss your claim with one of our expert employment lawyers, you can book a free 15 minute consultation - or you can call us on 020 3808 8314. We'll be able to guide you through the process and let you know the options that are available to you.