Our Legal Fees
Please note that all prices that refer to VAT will be charged VAT at the current rate of 20%.
Our legal fees for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are based on the complexity of a case:
- Simple case: £6,000 – £8,000 + VAT (at 20%);
- Medium complexity case: £8,000 – £10,000 + VAT (at 20%); or
- High complexity case: £10,000 – £12,000 + VAT (at 20%)
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 unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer; and
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.
Disbursements and additional charges
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 between £500 to £1,200 + VAT (at 20%) per day (depending on experience of the advocate), for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation of experts, GPs records and Psychiatric reports). The number of days that the Tribunal will last for depends on the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses.
Verifying Your Identity
We use electronic verification to support our client identity checks.
Electronic verification uses identification information such as name, address, etc. in electronic form and checks the information against numerous data sources to verify a person or business. This type of check will leave a minor footprint on the relevant credit file, but it will not harm an individual’s or business’s credit score.
We pass on the cost of this check to clients. The cost of the electronic verification check is:
- £18 plus VAT (at 20%) per person;
- £32 plus VAT (at 20%) for a UK based corporate client; or
- £50 – £156 plus VAT (at 20%) depending on jurisdiction for an internationally based corporate client.
Key stages of a claim
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, completing either:
- The ET1 (the claim form) outlining your case and nature of dispute; or the
- The ET3 (the response form) when a claim has been made against you.
- 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 or your specific disclosure;
- 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 and a written submission; and
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel.
The stages set out above are an indication of the process. If some of the 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 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 2 – 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case could take 6 – 9 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.
