The range of services that the Employment department provide are available at fixed fees or by hourly rate, and this would depend upon individual circumstances and the nature/complexity of every case. A breakdown of typical costs in relation to cases at an Employment Tribunal are detailed upon this page. If you have any queries about any of our fees, please do not hesitate to call us on 0113 284 5000 to speak to a member of our team.
Employment Tribunal: Range of costs
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal
| SIMPLE CASE | |
| For individuals | £1,500.00 – £3,000.00 (+20% vat) |
| For businesses | £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 (+20% vat) |
For example: Breach of contract, wages claims or unfair dismissal/discrimination claims with 2 or less witnesses, and where the final hearing is one day or less.
| MEDIUM COMPLEXITY CASE | |
| For individuals | £2,500.00 – £5,000.00 (+20% vat) |
| For businesses | £10,000.00 – £20,000.00 (+20% vat) |
For example: Most unfair dismissal type claims and more complex whistleblowing complaints, and straightforward discrimination complaints
| HIGH COMPLEXITY CASE | |
| For individuals | £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 (+20% vat) |
| For businesses | £20,000.00 – £30,000.00 (+20% vat)* |
For example: Multi day dismissal and discrimination complaints.
* In special very complex cases fees may exceed £30k but we will discuss this with you on this from the outset.
Please note that the above fees exclude counsel fees.
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
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 Tribunal Hearing, including instructions to Counsel if necessary
- The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee may 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 on your individual needs.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as counsel’s fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
In the rare cases it may be necessary to instruct Counsel in your case, which will be discussed in advanced. Counsel’s fees are estimated between £1,000.00 to £1,500.00 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
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. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 1 – 3 months. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6 – 24 months. 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.
Yunus Lunat – Head of Employment Law
