We aim to be totally transparent on fees. Our current chargeable rates are as follows and are charged on a time charge basis in accordance with our terms and conditions:
| Sara Frisby, Director | £300 plus V.A.T per hour |
| Consultant Employment Solicitor | £250 plus V.A.T per hour |
| Employment Solicitor | £200 plus V.A.T per hour |
| Trainee Solicitor | £100 plus V.A.T per hour |
| Paralegal | £75 plus V.A.T per hour |
You can request a progress report of time incurred on your matter at any time and we routinely provide these weekly or monthly in prior agreement with you.
Settlement agreements
Our fees for advising on the terms and effects of a settlement agreement (formerly compromise agreements) are £500 plus V.A.T. If you would like us to negotiate commercial terms on your behalf then our normal hourly rates applies in addition.
Employment tribunals
We are experts in dealing with complex tribunal litigation. The following are examples of our range of fees for simple, medium and complex tribunal litigation:
- Simple case (such as Unlawful Deduction of Wages) – £1000 plus V.A.T
- Medium complexity case (such as Unfair Dismissal) £1000 plus V.A.T to £10,000 plus V.A.T;
- High Complexity case (discrimination and/or whistle-blowing) – £10,000 – £25,000 plus V.A.T.
There are factors which may mean fees are lower or higher depending on the nature of your case – for example, if we are acting against a difficult opponent or if we have to make additional applications to the tribunal to obtain specific disclosure.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties or to us, such as travel expenses , barristers or expert fees. We generally handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process, but may sometimes require a payment on account before the costs are incurred. We will inform you if this applies to your case.
The likely cost of disbursements will depend on things like the location of any Employment Tribunal hearing (which will affect the level of travel and subsistence costs) and the volume of the documents involved (which will affect things like photocopying and printing costs). Normal printing costs up to 50 pages per day are included in our costs.
For a matter at one of our nearest Employment Tribunals (London) our travel expenses are likely to be up to £100 for a one day hearing. For a Tribunal bundle of up to 100 pages (which would be likely to be the case for a very simple matter) the photocopying/printing costs are likely to be up to £50. In some cases the bundles are dealt with electronically, in which case no photocopying or printing costs will be applicable.
VAT would be added to these disbursements where applicable (charged at 20%).
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 the merits of the case and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
- Entering into early conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing the draft claim or response for your approval, finalising it and submitting it to the Employment Tribunal
- Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process (in accordance with your instructions)
- 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
- Preparing the bundle of documents
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
- Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
- Preparation, attendance and representation at final hearing
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 may 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 on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during early conciliation, your case is likely to take less than a month. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, then based on current Employment Tribunal listings your case is likely to take at least a year and in some cases much longer based on current tribunal workloads. 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, but please note that the timescales are often outside our control. We explore settlement options regularly and seek to obtain the best outcome for you or your organisation.
Who will work on my matter?
Sara Frisby will manage and supervise your matter. All of our solicitors specialise only in employment law and all have experience in dealing with Employment Tribunal matters.
The name of the person dealing with your matter will be agreed with you at the outset and they will be your main point of contact throughout the case.
Tactical incentives
We have developed a range of innovative costs options for both our senior executive and corporate clients to make working with us an attractive option. Contact us for further details.