Our employment team provide advice to both claimants and respondents in relation to claims for unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal before the employment tribunals. Our pricing for these claims will depend on the complexity and particular circumstances of the case.
We will provide you with a comprehensive estimate relating to your specific circumstances together with details of the hourly rates of those who will be working on your transaction. The range of hourly rates is between £275 for a trainee/junior associate to £815 per hour for a partner, excluding VAT. The appropriate fee earner will be determined depending on the complexity, issues and deadlines involved in the case.
For a straightforward claim that reaches trial, costs could fall within the range of £7,500 (excluding VAT) plus disbursements for a simple one day hearing with a limited number of witnesses to in excess of £100,000 (excluding VAT) plus disbursements (for a more complex, multi issue claim, involving preliminary hearings and lengthy periods in court with multiple witnesses).
Any such fees will depend on the cases complexity and the factors affecting such costs are listed below.
Where VAT is payable, it is currently charged at 20%.
Disbursements are costs related to the matter that are payable to third parties such as court and proceeding fees. In the employment tribunal there will be no specific court fees. We will handle payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a clear and smooth process, and these are then added to our invoices.
Typical disbursements include:
The ranges of fees set out above cover all work in relation to the following key stages of defending a straightforward unfair or wrongful dismissal claim:
The period of time from taking initial instructions to final resolution of the matter will depend on the stage at which the claim is resolved.
The mandatory pre-claim conciliation period may last for up to a maximum of one month and two weeks. If settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation then the matter should be dealt with in that time frame.
If the claim proceeds to a Tribunal Hearing then the length of the process will depend upon the complexity of the claim, the availability of the relevant Tribunal to hear the claim and how many days the Tribunal Hearing is set for, as determined by the Tribunal. Typically a more straightforward case may take up to six months and a more complex case may take up to nine or 12 months.
These time periods are indicative only and depend on the Employment Tribunal in question and its listing schedule. We will discuss the timescale of the process with you as the matter progresses.
