A range of fees are available depending on the legal and factual complexity of the case this includes Fixed Fee, Conditional Fee Agreements and Hourly Fee. Our legal fees are calculated by reference, amongst other matters, to the total time spent on a case and the hourly rates of the members of the team who deal with it. These are as follows:

HOURLY 

• Partners – £267  per hour
• Consultants – between £165  per hour
• Paralegals – £121 per hour

FIXED FEE

• £600 – £2000 depending upon the complexity of the case

CONDITIONAL FEE AGREEMENT

• CFAs are capped in the percentage at 35%, with the hourly rate applied or disapplied except for certain costs such as advocacy fees.

Please note that these rates do not include VAT. Please also note that our hourly rates may be varied on 1 July each year. VAT is applied at the rate of 20% on our fees and, where applicable, disbursements.

The amount of work involved in each case will depend on its specific circumstances so we are not able to provide a precise estimate of the overall costs of bringing or defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal on this page. We will provide an estimate of the likely overall costs to all clients once we have sufficient further information about the specific circumstances of their case. But as a general guide, the overall costs of bringing or defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal (including the fees of barristers and others such as experts) are as follows:

SIMPLE CASE: £600 TO £2,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

This assumes (by way of example):

• no preliminary hearings needed;
• both parties represented;
• straightforward issues, such as unfair dismissal (but not whistleblowing or discrimination) that can be dealt with by more junior solicitors and barristers;
• a one or two day full merits hearing with no more than four witnesses in total;
• documentation not more than 300 pages;
• no separate hearing needed for issues such as remedy or costs.

MEDIUM COMPLEXITY CASE: £3,000 TO £6,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

This assumes:

• a claim of sufficiently high potential value;
• a preliminary hearing needed, eg for case management;
• more complex issues involving eg discrimination or whistleblowing (or the opponent is unrepresented);
• more experienced lawyers needed;
• a hearing lasting between three and five days with five or more witnesses (or the opponent is unrepresented);
• documents between 300 and 1000 pages (or the opponent is unrepresented);
• potential for additional hearings on matters such as remedy or costs.

HIGH COMPLEXITY CASE: UPWARDS OF £10,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

This assumes:

• a claim of sufficiently high potential value financially or in terms of reputation to at least one of the parties;
• at least one preliminary hearing needed;
• complex overlapping issues potentially arising over a prolonged period;
• potentially lack of co-operation by the opponent leading to lack of compliance with the case management timetable set by the tribunal or disputes over matters such as discovery of documents;
• a hearing lasting more than five days;
• large volumes of documentation exceeding 1,000 pages;
• potential for additional hearings on matters such as remedy or costs.

OVERALL COSTS

Please note that the overall costs of each type of case may end up being higher or lower than the range of figures given above. The overall costs involved will depend on a number of factors such as:

• the number of documents involved;
• the time needed to identify the relevant documents;
• the number of witnesses to be called;
• the length of the hearing (a typical unfair dismissal case is likely to last one or two days, but more complex cases involving multiple allegations can take a number of days or even weeks); and
• the seniority of the barrister required to present the case effectively, which in turn depends on the complexity of the case.

EXPERT WITNESS

In some cases it may be necessary to use the services of an expert witness, for example to provide medical evidence. The costs of instructing the expert are an example of an expense that you would have to meet in addition to our legal fees. An expert’s costs will vary according to the complexity of the report they are asked to prepare and how involved they become in the case:

• a short letter or report that is not challenged by the other side in the dispute might cost as little as £300;
• a more complex report that has taken time to prepare might cost in the region of £2,000 – £5,000, particularly if there is more than one expert in the case and there is discussion between them with a view to reducing areas of disagreement.

BARRISTERS’ FEES

Barristers’ fees will be treated in the same way. We will negotiate the fees of the barrister for you once it has been decided that a barrister needs to be involved in the case. Barristers’ fees depend on the complexity of the task given to them and their experience and expertise. Barristers will charge VAT in addition to the quoted fee. By way of example:

• an appearance by a junior barrister at a short preliminary hearing (one to two hours) might cost in the region of £1,000;
• a senior barrister might charge a fee upwards of £2,000 -£2,500.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR A CASE TO REACH A HEARING?

The length of time required to resolve an employment matter depends on many factors and we will of course keep you informed throughout the preparation of a case about how long the matter is likely to take to reach a conclusion.

SIMPLE CASE: 9 Months – 1 Year

MEDIUM TO COMPLEX: 1- 2 years

DISBURSEMENTS WHICH WILL ATTRACT VAT?

• Barrister’s Fee
• Court Bundle