SRA Price Transparency Statement

As a law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), we are required to publish pricing information in relation to certain types of legal services that we provide.

The pricing information outlined below concerns employment matters where we represent employers in defending claims for unfair dismissal and/or wrongful dismissal cases before the UK Employment Tribunal. We do not act for individuals in bringing wrongful and/or unfair dismissal claims before Employment Tribunals and so no information is provided on this website in relation to those services.

Our fees

Given the inherent variability in any Employment Tribunal process, our costs for defending claims for unfair/wrongful dismissal (which may include whistleblowing, discrimination) could have a broad range.

• For a straightforward case, our costs could range from £50,000-£100,000 (excluding VAT, currently charged at 20% and disbursements).
• For medium complexity cases, our costs could range from £100,000 to £200,000 (excluding VAT, currently charged at 20% and disbursements).
• For high complexity cases, our costs could range from £200,000 to £1.5 million (excluding VAT, currently charged at 20% and disbursements) or higher.

A full case-specific estimate can be obtained by contacting us with your requirements. Factors that could make a case more complex include:

• If it is necessary to make or defend preliminary 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 potential witnesses;
• The scope of disclosure and number of documents involved;
• Whether expert evidence is required;
• If it is a potentially automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if the employee has been dismissed after allegedly blowing the whistle;
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal;
• Whether there are any additional regulatory or jurisdictional considerations;
• The duration of any hearing(s); and
• If any aspect of the claim, including any hearing, is delayed or postponed.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, a barrister’s fees or those of a medical expert. All disbursements are excluding VAT, currently charged at 20%. We handle payment of the disbursements to ensure a smoother process and so these will appear on our invoice.

Disbursements will vary from matter to matter, but in a typical employment tribunal matter we would expect to see the following disbursements:

• Costs for photocopying and preparing hearing bundles;
• Courier fees; and
• Counsel’s fees.

Counsel's fees can cost between £5,000 to £20,000 per day (depending on experience and seniority of the advocate) excluding VAT, charged at 20% for attending a tribunal hearing (including preparation). Additional counsel’s fees may also apply for preliminary advice.

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of defending a standard unfair or wrongful dismissal claim:

• Taking initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising 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 the claim or a response to the claim(s);
• Reviewing and advising on the claim or the response from other party;
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process;
• Preparing or considering a schedule of loss;
• Preparing for (and attending) preliminary hearing(s);
• 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; and
• 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, overall fees are likely to be lower.

Length of claim process

The time that it takes from taking initial instructions to the final resolution depends largely on the stage at which the case is resolved. A straightforward case that settles early may take from four to eight weeks. If the claim proceeds to a final hearing, the case is likely to take one year or more. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

Who will work on my matter?

Your matter will be dealt with by our employment team and the team to be appointed will depend on the nature and complexity of your claim. Please refer to the key contacts list below for details of the experience of each member of the team.

Complaints

Our complaints policy can be found here.