Employment Tribunals – Our Charges
A range of estimated costs only can be given due to the varied nature of Employment Tribunal cases, including the complexity of the issues, whether preliminary hearings are necessary, the volume and complexity of the documentation, the number of relevant witnesses and the length of the trial, in the event that settlement is not reached.
Taking into account the large number of cases that do settle long before trial, the range of costs would usually be £2,000 – £20,000 plus VAT. This estimate is based on a partner charging rate of £235.00 + VAT per hour. Every case is different which means that we are unable to offer fixed fees although we will give you an estimate of costs at the outset.
The estimated cost of a barrister attending the trial would be £800 – £1,200 plus VAT per day. More complex cases could involve a more senior barrister, with your agreement, in which case the cost would be higher. 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 arranging representation at) 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 Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
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 4-16 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 4-12 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.
Who will do the work?
All Employment Tribunal work would be carried out by Mark Ridley who is an Employment Solicitor, Partner and Head of our Employment Department (Mark’s work is supervised by our Head of Litigation, John French).