Employment Law Solicitors

Simple case: £15,000 - £17,500 (plus VAT charged at 20%)

· Typically, 1-2 days in the Employment Tribunal

· No more than one witness for each party

· No allegations of discrimination

· Less than 25 documents per party

Medium complexity case: £17,500 - £50,000 (plus VAT charged at 20%) High complexity case: £50,000+ (plus VAT charged at 20%) The above is a general guidance of our costs; we will of course provide you with a bespoke cost estimate once we have a clearer understanding of your matter. There may be an additional charge for your solicitor/a member of the employment team attending a Tribunal Hearing of up to £1000 per day (plus VAT charged at 20%).

· Any appeals made at the Employment Appeal Tribunal;

· Any Court fees; currently there are no Employment Tribunal fees to be paid to bring or defend a claim, however if the law changes on this point, we reserve the right to amend our fees;

· Any other employment claim or response, stand alone or otherwise;

· Dispute employment status;

· Additional conferences with your barrister (these are typically for medium to high complexity cases);

· Any fees/costs for engaging experts e.g. translators, medical, IT experts;

· Travel time;

· Judicial mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution;

· Insurance liaison.

· That the case involves one claimant and one respondent;

· That all parties are represented by solicitors;

· That English law applies and that your case will be heard by an Employment Tribunal in England.

· There are many factors that could make your case more complex, and as a result increase your costs. If any such matters are identified by your solicitor these will be discussed with you and you will be given information about how those issues will increase our fees.

“Disbursements” are fees that we have to pay to other organisations on your behalf. In addition to our charges there may be the following expenses:

· Where required, barrister's fees are estimated between £900 - £2000 plus VAT per day (depending on experience of the barrister) for attending the Tribunal Hearing (including preparation);

· Travel expenses to the tribunal and to meetings;

Currently there are no Employment Tribunal fees to be paid to bring or defend a claim, however if such fees are introduced by the Government, then they would be payable in addition.

· 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 early conciliation with ACAS to explore whether a settlement can be reached;

· Preparing claim (for the employee this means drafting and submitting the claim form which outlines the case and the nature of the dispute) or response (for the employer this means drafting the response form when a claim has been made);

· Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party;

· Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process;

· Preparing (if acting for the employee) or considering (if acting for the employer) a schedule of loss (a detailed statement of the losses that the employee has incurred to date and thereafter assessing future losses);

· Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing or a Case Management Conference;

· 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 statement;

· Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list (who is attending the tribunal hearing);

· Meeting with the barrister to discuss the claim prior to the Final Hearing;

· Preparation and attendance at the Final Hearing, including briefing the barrister;

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

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 a few weeks to a year.

If, however, your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing (where the decision on the claim is made), your case is likely to take between 18 months and two years. Timescales depend, to a large extent, on how busy the particular Employment Tribunal is. We will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale for your own case once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

For an employer, using an employment law solicitor could prevent any employment tribunal claims from being brought against you. For an employee, although you can represent yourself in the tribunal, it can be quite complicated and really daunting. Using a solicitor gives your claim the best chance of success.