If you are an employee, senior executive, director or senior manager and want to bring a claim against your employer for unfair or wrongful dismissal, we have the experience to help.
Before talking about our prices, we thought you might like to understand in a little more detail what is typically involved, how long it might take and how we can help you.
This is what we will do for you – key stages
The prices set out below cover all the work involved in the following key stages of an employment tribunal claim:
- Discuss the issues surrounding the claim
- Review the papers and advise you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
- Enter into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached
- Prepare your claim and submitting it to the Tribunal
- Review and advise on the defence from the other party
- Explore settlement and negotiate settlement throughout the process
- Prepare a schedule of loss (setting out what we consider to be the value of your claim)
- Prepare for (and attend) any Preliminary Hearing
- Exchange documents with the other party and agree on a bundle of documents
- Take witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- Review and advise you on the other party’s witness statements
- Agree on a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
- Prepare and attend the Final Heading, including instructions to a Barrister to present your case at the Final Hearing.
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the price may be reduced.
Our experience
All members of our specialist employment law team have significant experience in advising people like you through the employment tribunal process. You can view our team profiles by clicking here.
How long will all that take?
The time that it takes depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved.
If we can settle the claim during pre-claim conciliation, your case could take a matter of weeks.
If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing in the Employment Tribunal, the case is likely to take several months. In some cases, because of the pressure on the Employment Tribunal system, even years!
This is just an estimate and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information, and as the case progresses.
How much will it cost?
As outlined above, these pricing examples assume the case goes all the way to a Final Hearing at the Employment Tribunal.
| Estimated cost | VAT @ 20% | Total cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple case | £8,000 – £12,500 | £1,600 – £2,500 | £9,600 – £15,000 |
| Medium complex case | £12,500 – £17,500 | £2,500 – £3,500 | £15,000 – £21,000 |
| Highly complex case | £17,500 – £40,000 | £3,500 – £8,000 | £21,000 – £48,000 |
What can make a case more complex?
- If we need to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues, such as whether the claim is in time
- The number of witnesses and volume of 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 which are linked to the dismissal
- If the claims are listed for more than three days in the Employment Tribunal.
Additional costs
| Estimated cost | VAT @ 20% | Total cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price for us attending the tribunal hearing (per day)* | £2,000 | £400 | £2,400 |
* The length of the Hearing and whether this is necessary will depend on the complexity of your case.
VAT – Please note that the addition of vat to our charges is governed by very complex statutory provisions and extra-statutory guidance. Read more here.
Other third party costs
In addition to the fees you will pay us, you will need to pay fees and charges to others which we will make on your behalf, but will usually ask for money on account to cover them. These are often referred to as ‘disbursements’.
Barristers’ fees estimated between £1,000 to 5,000 plus VAT per day (depending on the experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
What happens next?
If you want to bring an employment tribunal claim against your employer and would like to discuss how we can help, please contact a member of our team directly, or complete the contact form and a member of our team will be in touch.