Employment Law
Our employment team is headed-up by a partner-level solicitor who is also an accredited mediator.
We have advised on and defended a wide-range of employment claims on behalf of business clients including claims for unfair dismissal; wrongful dismissal; and discrimination claims based upon age; sex; race and disability. We can also draft and advise on Settlement Agreements for Employers and Employees.
Acting for Employees:
We can advise on a fixed-fee basis for a wide-range of employment advice prior to any employment tribunal claim if required. Our fixed fees range between £300 and £600 inclusive of VAT depending upon the type and complexity of advice required and whether or not a face-to-face interview is undertaken. We can provide you with a quote in each case, based upon your individual requirements. We can also advise on Settlement Agreements for a fixed-fee ranging between £350 plus vat and £750 plus vat depending upon the value and complexity of the case. Normally, the Settlement Agreement will provide for your employer to re-imburse you our fees. In addition to the above fees we also may need to carry out ID checks for anti-money-laundering purposes for which we make a separate charge of £48 per ID check inclusive of VAT.
Acting for Employers:
We charge for employment advice and representation at an hourly rate of between £250 plus vat and £275 plus vat depending upon level of fee-earner dealing with your case. For contested employment tribunal claims for unfair/wrongful dismissal, discrimination, etc which go all the way to a final hearing, our fees normally range between £3,800 plus vat and £10,000 plus vat with an average fee of £6500 plus vat. This covers all proceedings up to and including a final tribunal hearing. These figures are illustrative only. If a case settles early before entering a final hearing, our fees may be lower, depending upon how quickly the case settles. We will provide you with detailed costs estimates on a best-estimate basis upon receipt of detailed instructions. Costs may vary depending upon all the circumstances of the case, and may be affected by various factors including: the complexity, type, and number of issues in dispute; the volume of documentation to be considered; the number of witnesses on each side; the work involved in gathering evidence; any employer’s counter-claim, any interim applications/hearings, and the length, in days and hours, of the final hearing. We will also carry out ID checks at the commencement of instructions to comply with anti-money laundering requirements for which we charge £25 plus vat for each ID check carried out. If a barrister is instructed to present your case at an interim or final hearing, the barrister’s fee is a disbursement which is payable in addition to our fees set out above. We cannot control the amount of barrister’s fees, since they are independent from us, but they are likely to be in the range of £1500 plus vat to £5,000 plus vat depending upon the complexity of the case and the time taken for the final hearing. We will normally obtain an advance estimate of barrister’s fees in each case where they are instructed.
How long will it take and key stages:
In any tribunal proceedings we are dependant upon the tribunal’s availability over which we have no control. However, from experience employment tribunal cases can take between 6 and 9 months from issue to final hearing. Key stages include issue of claim, response, case management hearing, interim applications ( if any), mediation ( if both parties agree) and if not resolved by agreement then the final hearing. This link to the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure provides more detail: Employment tribunal procedure rules
Call: 0208 862 8870
What our Clients say
“The successful dispute resolution in our favour is a result of great team work and you being the core of it all. Your experience and advice got us through. It was a good experience working with you.”
