Employment Tribunal Our Estimated Costs Simple case (e.g. one day ET hearing with no more than two witnesses): £4,000.00 to £10,000.00 plus VAT. Medium complexity case (e.g. two day ET hearing with three or more witnesses): £8,000.00 to £14,000.00 plus VAT. High complexity case: £15,000.00-£25,000.00 plus VAT. Our fees are calculated by reference to an hourly rate and are dependent upon the experience of the solicitor that spends time working on your case. The hourly rates of the solicitor who will be dealing with your employment matter range from £300.00 to £400.00 an hour. Which category your case falls into, in terms of complexity, will be dependent upon some or all of the following:-
In order to assist in determining what category your case is likely to fall into, we list some factors below that are likely to make a case more complex and are thereby likely to increase the fee payable. It may also be the case that the fees payable will increase if there are unexpected complexities or if, for example, you do not follow the advice that we provide. Factors that are likely to make a case more complex are as follows:
The above is not intended to be exhaustive lists and the specific circumstances of each case may mean that other factors will influence the complexity of each case. If a settlement is able to be reached in your matter at an early stage, our fees are likely to be significantly reduced. Disbursements Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and counsel’s fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Counsel’s Fees Where it becomes necessary to instruct Counsel (either to draft pleadings/legal documents in complex cases or for advocacy at any hearing), you should factor in the following fees:-
You should also factor in any disbursements Counsel may need to charge, for example, accommodation fees/cost of travel. Please note that the above is just an estimate and we would be able to discuss this with you in greater detail once we know further details about your claim. Other Disbursements There are some other disbursements that may be applicable in certain cases. Some of these disbursements are listed below: Expert’s fees: If the instruction of an expert is required to provide evidence in any particular field(s), a fee would be payable for their time. This is usually in the region of around £750 to £2,000 + VAT (if the expert is not VAT registered then VAT would not be payable) to provide a report and £500 to £750 + VAT per day for attendance at any hearing. Experts’ fees largely depend upon the nature of their instruction and the facts of the case, it is therefore difficult to estimate these at the outset; and Mediator/Adjudicator fees: If it appears that mediation or adjudication may assist in resolving your matter, a fee would be payable for the mediator’s/adjudicator’s time if both parties agree to the mediation/adjudication. These fees are usually in the region of around £1,000 + VAT to £1,500 (if the mediator / adjudicator is not VAT registered then VAT would not be payable) for half a day, and £1,500 to £3,000 + VAT for a full day. However, these fees can be higher. These fees can sometimes be split between both parties also. You must also bear in mind that it is likely that a barrister will need to attend a mediation/adjudication also and their fees are likely to be in a similar region to that for attendance at a trial (outlined above). Court Fees There is no Court fee payable for submitting a claim within the Employment Tribunal. Key stages The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
The stages set out above are an indication of what is required and if some of the stages above are not required, the costs will be at the lower end of the fee range quoted above. We will always provide you with an individual cost estimate at the outset of dealing with your case once we have details of what it involves. The fee range quoted above would not ordinarily include:-
How long will my matter take? The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depend on a number of factors, largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. A settlement may be reached after just a few weeks for example. Alternatively, if a claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, the case is likely to be heard around six to eight months from the date the claim was lodged. 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. For more information, or to speak to a solicitor regarding a specific issue, please contact us today.
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