Our pricing for bringing and defending
claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal
Simple case:
£5,000 to £15,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)
Medium complexity case: £12,000 to £25,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)
High complexity case: £20,000 to £50,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%)
We charge at an hourly rate which varies
depending on the member of staff dealing your matter. Our lowest hourly rate is £180 (excluding VAT
charged at 20%) and our highest hourly
rate is £470 (excluding VAT charged at 20%).
The seniority of the member of staff dealing with your case will depend
on its complexity. We will discuss this
with you when you instruct us.
Factors that could make a case more
complex/protracted:
- if it is necessary to make or defend applications to
amend/limit claims or to seek or provide further information about an
existing claim;
- defending claims that are brought by litigants in person;
- making or defending a costs application including related to
conduct of the other party, merits of claims or failure to meet Tribunal
Orders;
- complex preliminary issues such as whether there are
jurisdictional or technical issues, or whether a claim should be allowed
to proceed to a full hearing, expert third party advice, or specific
disclosure (if this is not agreed by the parties);
- the number of witnesses and volume of documentation;
- if it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim, e.g. if the
employee is dismissed after blowing the whistle on their employer;
- allegations of discrimination which are linked to the
dismissal.
There will generally be an additional
charge for attending a Tribunal hearing of £1000 to £2250 depending on the
level of fee earner per day (excluding VAT at 20%). Generally, Tribunal
hearings last between 1 to 9 days, depending on the complexity of your case.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your
matter that are payable to third parties, such as a barrister’s fees. We handle
the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
A barrister’s brief fee (preparation costs
and day one of a Tribunal Hearing) are estimated at between £2500 and £6000
(excluding VAT charged at 20%) (depending on the experience of the barrister).
Barristers’ fees for attending subsequent days of a Tribunal Hearing are
estimated at between £1000 to £2500 (excluding VAT charged at 20% ) per day.
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all of the
work in relation to the 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 desired or
mandatory, to explore whether a settlement or other resolution can be
reached;
- preparing claim or response;
- reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party;
- preparing for and considering any applications;
- exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the
process;
- preparing for and considering a schedule of loss;
- preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing (by
telephone or in person);
- attending to and sorting documents that need to be disclosed,
exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of
documents;
- taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing
their content with witnesses;
- preparing agreed joint bundle of documents (if applicable);
- 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 a conference with you, your
barrister, and any witnesses;
- preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including
instructions to your barrister.
The stages set out above are an indication
and 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, based 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 your matter depends largely on
the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement or other resolution
is reached during pre-claim conciliation, the matter may be concluded within a
few days or weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, depending on the
complexity of the case, conduct of the parties and assistance from the Tribunal
and its ability to schedule hearings, your case is likely to take anything from
twelve weeks (for straightforward claims) to twelve months (for high complexity
cases). 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.