Pricing information for Employment Tribunals

We specialise in defending employment tribunal claims for public and private businesses, education establishments and charities.

Here is our pricing for bringing and defending claims of:

• Unfair or constructive dismissal;
• Wrongful dismissal and breach of contract, including notice pay, holiday pay and arrears of pay;
• Discrimination claims relating to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
• Whistleblowing claims;
• Unlawful deductions from wages;
• Breach of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 – ‘TUPE’.

We charge based on an hourly rate, which varies depending on the member of staff dealing with your matter. Our hourly rates range from £135.00 to £390.00 per hour plus 20% VAT. The seniority of the members of staff dealing with your case will depend on its complexity. We will discuss this with you when you instruct us.

The table below sets out the normal range of costs for cases depending on their complexity:

Here are the factors that could make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications, to amend claims or defence, or to provide further information about an existing claim.
• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
• Complex preliminary issues, which may lead to the need for Preliminary Hearings.
• A large number of witnesses and documents.
• If the claim is one for automatic unfair dismissal, e.g. the employee has brought a whistleblowing claim.
• If it is a constructive unfair dismissal claim that needs defending.
• Allegations of discrimination, which are linked to the dismissal.

There will be an additional charge for attending a tribunal hearing of between £1,250.00 and £2,500.00 plus VAT of £250.00 to £500.00, totalling £1,500.00 to £3,000.00 per day. Generally, we would allow between 1 and 10 days, depending on the complexity of your case.

Client onboarding fees

We are required by law to obtain satisfactory evidence of the identity of our clients and the persons connected to them. In certain circumstances, we may also require evidence to establish the source of funds paid to us during your retainer. We pass on this cost to you as a client onboarding fee.  Our client onboarding fees are:

Disbursements

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

Counsel’s fees for attending a tribunal hearing (including preparation) are estimated at between £1,500.00 and £3,000.00 plus VAT of £300.00 to £600.00, totalling £1,800.00 to £3,600.00 per day, depending on the experience of the advocate.

Grand total costs

Please note: the costs outlined above are to act as a guide only. They provide a range of the likely fees, as not all disbursements will be applicable for each client matter.

The 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 the merits of the claim and likely compensation awarded if the claim is successful (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change).
• Entering into Acas conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
• Preparing the response to the claim.
• Reviewing and advising on the claim.
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process.
• Preparing or considering a schedule of loss.
• Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing, including instructions to Counsel.
• 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 Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel.

The stages set out above are an indication, and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced.

How long will it take?

The timescales involved in taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depend largely on the stage at which your case is resolved.

If a settlement is reached during Acas conciliation, your case is likely to take between 4 and 8 weeks to conclude.

If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take between 12 and 18 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.