Employment Tribunal Claims: Range of Costs

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

  • Simple case:- £4,500-£8,500 (excluding VAT)
  • Medium complexity case: £8,500-£15,000 (excluding VAT)
  • High complexity case: £15,000-£40,000 (excluding VAT)

(These costs exclude disbursements – see below)

Some factors could make a case more complex including;

  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
  • Making or defending a costs application
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
  • The number of witnesses and documents
  • If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on our employer
  • Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal

If required, there will be an additional charge for attending an interim or final Tribunal Hearing ranging from £1,000 to £2,000 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 1-10 days depending on the complexity of your case.

Our estimates are billed on our hourly rates ranging from £185-£300 per hour (excluding VAT).

Disbursements

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

Counsel’s fees are estimated at between £500 to £1,500 (excluding VAT) per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending an interim Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).   Counsel’s fees for preparation and attendance at the first day of final or Merits Tribunal Hearing is estimated between £3,500 and £10,000 (excluding VAT). Counsel’s fees for preparation and attendance at subsequent days of a final or Merits Tribunal Hearing are estimated at between £750 to £1500 per day (excluding VAT).

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 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 mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached
  • Preparing claim or response
  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement through the process
  • Preparing or considering a schedule of loss
  • Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
  • 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.   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 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 is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 6-8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 30-40 weeks. 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.

VAT will be charged at a 20%, or the prevailing rate at the time the Firm’s invoice is raised.