Employment Law Fees Chester

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

For those clients on a retainer, any tribunal work is carried out on a fixed fee basis, dependant on the complexity of the case. These fees will be discussed with the retained clients in advance of instructions.

For clients wishing to instruct on an individual case basis:

For a simple UD claim: £500 to £8000 (excluding VAT)

Medium complexity claim: up to £12,500 (excluding VAT)

Complex claim: up to £25,000 (excluding VAT)

VAT is currently 20%.

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• 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 your employer
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing. We generally assist you in instructing a Barrister (‘Counsel’) to represent you as this is more cost-effective. Counsel’s fees will form part of a separate costs quotation (see Disbursements below). If we represent you at a Tribunal Hearing this will based on a fee of £1,500 (excluding VAT) for a one day hearing.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as medical reports and Counsel fees. Where it becomes apparent that advice and/or representation should be sought from legal counsel, we will let you know and will obtain an estimate of those fees on your behalf (if requested to do so). There is no standardised rate that Counsel will charge and Counsel’s fees will be dependant on the complexity of the case, length of hearing and the seniority of Counsel. Counsel’s fees are typically, on average, around £1,500 (excluding VAT) per day for representation and between £700 to £1,500 (excluding VAT) for advice/opinions from Counsel. In each case, we handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

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 to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
• preparing the claim or response;
• reviewing and advising on the claim or response from other party;
• exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout 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; and
• preparation and attendance at any Preliminary or Final Hearings, including drafting and sending instructions to Counsel.

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only seek our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

Funding

For Claimant’s, some home insurance policies include Legal Expenses Insurance which may cover you in the event of a claim.

For Respondent’s, some business insurance policies include insurance which may cover legal expenses and/or compensation in the event of a claim.

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 and the timetable set by the Employment Tribunal. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 4 – 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 32 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.

Expertise

Our team has over ten years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to employment law.