Bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal

There are many factors which may affect our fees, such as the complexity of your case, but we have set out below the fees that we would typically charge for handling an unfair or wrongful dismissal claim.

Some of our clients may have insurance cover, which may contribute towards or fully meet our fees. It is worth checking your insurance policies to see if these include legal insurance cover (this is commonly found on household insurance policies either as standard, or for a small fee).

Simple case: £3,850-£11,550 (excluding VAT). Typically a one-day hearing with two witnesses.
Medium complexity case: £9,350-£17,050 (excluding VAT). Typically a two-day hearing and up to six witnesses, possibly linked with other claims. The hearing may be longer than three days.
High complexity case: £13,750-£33,550 (excluding VAT). Typically the hearing will last more than three days.

Factors that can make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend an application to amend a claim, or to provide further information about an existing claim
• Defending claims 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, for example 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 £3,000 - £4,500 per day (excluding VAT). Generally we would allow two 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.

At court your case is presented by an advocate, known as Counsel. Counsel’s fees are estimated at between £1,000 and £10,000 per day, depending on the experience of the advocate, for attending and preparing for a tribunal hearing.

Tribunal bundles are charged at 12p per sheet.

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all 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 reviewed throughout the matter, and is 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 the 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 the trial bundle (the documents required at court for the hearing)
• 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. If some of these stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim or parts of the claim yourself and seek our advice only in relation to some of the stages. This can be arranged according to your needs.

How long will my matter take?

The time from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take two to six weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take up to nine to twelve months on average. This is 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. Regional variations can mean that estimates vary significantly from place to place.

We try to ensure continuity of service and that you have a main point of reference for your claim.  The team and the standard charging rates are available below:

More information on the experience and qualifications of our employment team members can be found on our team page.

The rates and indications are necessarily general in nature. Factors which may increase costs include:

1. cases in which several people are involved (‘multi-party proceedings’)
2. dealing with litigants-in-person (non-trained)
3. postponements
4. claims involving other types of claims, such as discrimination, whistleblowing and equal pay

We can offer discounted rates for clients who engage us regularly or enter into retainer arrangements.