Beaconsfield 01494 730 722 | Bourne End 01628 533 350

Employment

At Brittons we understand how important it is to keep abreast of important developments in workplace legislation, to be able to best advise clients and ensure a smooth transition for both employers and employees.

We can provide legal advice, employment tribunal representation, and draft or advise on employment contracts, settlement agreements and other employment related documents for both employers and employees.

Whether you are looking for information about Employment Contracts, Termination of Employment, Discrimination, or Rights at Work call us on 01494 730 722 arrange a discussion with one of our employment specialists.

Price Guide for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal
Simple case: £9,000 – £11,500 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £11,501 – £15,000 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £15,001 – £21,000 (excluding VAT)
A reference to VAT in this price guide means that Value Added Tax at the prevailing rate (currently 20%) must be added to the price stated.

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 of £2250 per day (excluding VAT). In most cases we would expect a hearing to take between 1 and 4 days, depending on the complexity of your case.

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

There are currently no court fees payable to the Employment Tribunal but we will need to instruct a barrister to represent you at the hearing and possibly to advise you at other times during the course of the case. A barrister’s fees for a hearing are usually between £1500 and £3000 per day (plus VAT) depending upon their experience. Fees for advice at other times are usually between £750 and £1500 (plus 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 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
  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including 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 have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged depending upon 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 upon 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 could take 9-24 months depending upon the tribunal’s availability, with more complex cases usually taking longer to resolve.  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.