General advice in connection with employment matters will be charged at the below hourly rates
| Partner | £300 plus VAT |
| Senior Associate | £275 plus VAT |
| Paralegal | £140 plus VAT |
VAT is charged at 20%.
An estimate of time will be given prior to any work being undertaken but generally, you can expect to pay:-
One off advice
For clients who require only brief advice, we generally find they incur costs of 1 – 2 hours’ worth of time.
Simple case
Typically, with a value of less than £10,000 and unlikely to involve numerous complex legal issues.
£2,500 – £5,000 plus VAT & Disbursements (see below)
Medium complexity case
Typically, with a value of £10,000 – £20,000 with some complex issues, possibly requiring expert evidence and witness evidence. Likely to result in a Court hearing of a number of hours or one full day.
£5,000-£20,000 plus VAT & Disbursements (see below)
High complexity case
Higher value cases (£25,000 +) and typically those with more complex issues (legal or factual), requiring expert evidence, multiple witnesses and likely to result in a Court hearing lasting longer than a full day.
£20,000 + plus VAT & Disbursements (see below)
Common Disbursements
| Average Costs | |
| Counsel’s fees (depending on complexity) | £1500 – £5000 + VAT |
| ID checks | £12.50 – £25.00 + VAT per person |
What services are covered under these costs?
This will vary depending on the complexity of the case and advice sought. This could range from one off advice to a claim within the Employment Tribunal. You can see the steps included in an Employment Tribunal claim below.
Is there anything excluded from these costs?
You do not have to pay a fee to make a claim to an employment tribunal. You may have to pay other costs, for example: witness expenses or the costs of the people/organisations you are claiming against if the tribunal decides you have acted unreasonably.
What are the timescales?
Without knowing the specifics of your matter, timescales can be difficult to estimate.
On average, we find that matters that do not proceed to an Employment Tribunal are resolved within 5 – 6 weeks, but this heavily depends on the complexity of the case. If matters do not proceed beyond an initial consultation the time frames could be shorter.
Matters which go to Tribunal ordinarily take 12 months or more to be resolved.
A matter which proceeds to Tribunal will typically follow the below stages. Depending on the specifics of your case there may be other steps involved:-
- Early Conciliation
This process facilitates conversations between you and your employer to try and find a resolution to your dispute.
- Claim by Employee
If early conciliation fails, you will need to make an E1 claim with the employment tribunal.
- Response from Employer
The tribunal will notify your employer and they will have 28 days to respond.
- Assessment of Merits
The tribunal will then review your claim and decide what happens next.
- Preliminary Hearing
If the tribunal decide your claim can proceed, there will be preliminary hearing to dice how the case will be managed going forward.
- Clarification of claim/defence
Sometimes you or your employer will be asked to provide more information to the tribunal
- Schedule of loss/counter schedule
The Tribunal will ask you to set out the remedy you are seeking and your employer will have the opportunity to provide a counter proposal.
- Settlement discussions
This is an opportunity for both sides to discuss settlement terms. ACAS can assist with this process.
- Disclosure
Documents relevant to the dispute are disclosed to the other party.
- Preparation of a joint hearing bundle
Both sides agree which documents are relevant and should be considered by the Tribunal.
- Preparation of witness statements
Both parties prepare witness statements that they wish to present to the Tribunal.
- Preparation of key events/persons
The Tribunal may require both parties to prepare a list of key events/parties involved in the dispute
- Exchange of witness statements
Both parties will exchange witness statements
- Preparation for the hearing
Ahead of the hearing additional work may be required to prepare for the hearing
- The hearing
The Tribunal will read the document bundle, listen to witnesses and make a decision about your claim.
