Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal

No claim is exactly the same and our fees will reflect the particular requirements of your claim or defence. Of course if unexpected complications arise we will always inform you as soon as possible, and would fully discuss the potential consequences of that, before any extra charges were incurred.

Please note there may be other funding options available to cover your claim, such as an insurance policy. We will go through this with you should you wish, at our first appointment.

Our costs for dealing with bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal can range:

Simple case: £10,00-£15,000 (excluding VAT at 20%)

Medium complexity case: £15,000-£20,000 (excluding VAT at 20%)

High complexity case: £20,000-£25,000 (excluding VAT at 20%)

Time is charged on an hourly rate basis of £160-£210 (excluding VAT at 20%) depending on the level of experience of the member of staff dealing with your case. The lower the hourly rate, the more junior of staff, the higher the hourly rate the more senior the member of staff. The level of staff allocated to your case will depend on the complexity of your case and we will discuss this with you when you instruct us.

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• if it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide information about an existing claim;
• defending claims that are brought by litigants in person (i.e. people representing themselves);
• making or defending a costs application;
• complex preliminary issues such as whether the Claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties);
• a larger 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;
• allegations of discrimination or other claims which are linked to the dismissal.
• where more than one Claimant/Respondent.

If your case involves one or more of these factors, your claim is likely to fall in the medium or complex case costs estimate above.

There will generally be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal hearing of £700-£1,250 per day (excluding VAT at 20%). Generally, we would allow 1-2 days, depending on the complexity of your case.

The cost estimate does not include:

• the costs of dealing with applications made during the course of the case for decisions on specific issues;
• dealing with an appeal.

Disbursements

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 £1,500-£2,000 plus VAT at 20% per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation). Counsel’s fees for preparing Particulars of Claim or Reponses are estimated at £1,000-£3,000 plus VAT at 20% dependent on experience and number of issues to be covered/dealt with.

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 through Acas where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
• preparing the claim form outlining your case and the nature of the dispute, or response to the claim brought against you;
• reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party;
• exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process;
• preparing for and considering a schedule of loss;
• preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing;
• exchanging documents relevant to the case with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents (disclosure);
• taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
• preparing bundle of documents in readiness for the Tribunal Hearing;
• reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;
• agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list of people involved in a case;
• 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. 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 application 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 is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 12-16 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 52-104 weeks due to Tribunal cognestion. 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.

Experience

Our team has over 17 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to employment claims, for both employee and employer. The team has particular expertise in assessing employment matters from both a legal and HR perspective, having legal and CIPD qualification.  Regardless of who works on your matter they will be supervised by either the Partner and Head of the Dispute Resolution Department, Amy Cusworth, or the Managing Partner, Richard Sheppard.