Employment Tribunal Costs

Employment Tribunal

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal.

Simple case: £4,000.00 – £6,000.00 plus VAT (total: £4,800.00 – £7,200.00)

Medium complexity case: £6,000.00 – £12,000.00 plus VAT (total: £7,200.00 – £14,400.00)

High complexity case: over £12,000.00 plus VAT (total: £14,400.00)

Our charges are based on an hourly rate of £345 plus VAT (£414)

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications 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)
• The number of witnesses and documents
• If it is an automatic dismissal claim, e.g. you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer.
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

Disbursements

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

Counsel’s fees are estimated between £2,500.00 – £3,500.00 plus VAT (total: £3,000.00 – £4,200.00) per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the 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 a claim or response.
• Reviewing and advising on claim or response from another 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 the content with witnesses.
• Preparing a bundle of documents.
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues, chronology or cast list.
• Preparation and attendance at the Final Hearing, including preparing Instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication, and if some stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have 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 the 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 6-8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 9-12 months. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

Our Team

Our Employment department consists of one qualified solicitor (with over twenty years’ experience), a trainee solicitor and a team of highly trained assistants. The Team is supervised by, Chris Gates, who qualified in 1998.

For further information, please call us on 01524 402050 / 01539 565990 or alternatively complete the Enquiry form below.