Zoe will have an initial discussion with all clients by telephone to assess whether she can assist with your matter or to answer any initial questions.
Fixed fees may be offered on certain kinds of work and no-win-no-fee arrangements may be agreed on a case by case basis.
VAT is payable on our fees and Counsel’s fees at the prevailing rate which is currently 20%
Work chargeable at the usual hourly rate is charged at £375 plus VAT. Discounts are available to Charities and those of limited means on a case by case basis.
Fixed fees are usually paid in relation to the following types of work:
Advising
Basic/Multiple: £350 – 750 excluding VAT
Standard: £750 – 1500 excluding VAT
Complex: £1500 – 5000 excluding VAT
Re-Affirmation: £250-500 excluding VAT
Please note that this does not include advice on ancillary documents such as re-affirmation certificates, share/share options and other award schemes or post termination restrictions the charges for which are referred to below. This also does not include negotiation on the financial offer being made by the employer, which will be payable by the employee according to our usual hourly rate unless the employer agrees to cover such fees as part of any negotiated settlement.
Drafting
Basic/Multiple: £600 – £750 excluding VAT
Standard: £750 – £1500 excluding VAT
Complex: £1500 – £5000 excluding VAT
Please note that this does not include advice on ancillary documents such as share/share options and other award schemes or post termination restrictions the charges for which are referred to below.
Preparing/Amending & Updating Contracts
Of Employment / Workers Agreements / Consultancy Agreements / Employment Policies
Simple: £350 – £500 excluding VAT
Medium: £500 – £750 excluding VAT
Complex: £750 – £2500 excluding VAT
Basic: £750 – £1000 excluding VAT
Medium: £1000 – £1500 excluding VAT
Complex: £1500 – £3000 excluding VAT
Simple: £500 – £750 excluding VAT
Medium: £750 – £1000 excluding VAT
Complex: £1000 – £2500 excluding VAT
Simple case: £2500 – £7,500 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £7,500 – £15,000(excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £15,000 – £35,000 (excluding VAT)
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
There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £1000/£1500 per day (excluding VAT) if we attend. Generally, we would allow 3 – 10 days depending on the complexity of your case.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as barrister’s fees if you decide to use a barrister for specialist advice or representation. These must be paid directly by you as we do not hold a client account.
Barrister’s fees are estimated at between £1000 to £2500 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation). Counsel will also be paid a brief fee of £1500 – £10,000 excluding VAT depending on the complexity of your case and time spent by Counsel reading into your case and preparing it for the hearing.
If we use a barrister for specialist advice they will usually provide an estimate for this advice based on their hourly rate or a fixed fee if the advice is for a specific project such as drafting or a written opinion on a point of law.
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 Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This may be arranged based on your individual needs.
If your case includes a claim of discrimination, whistleblowing or any other matter, which will require further evidence, more complex advice and/or a lengthier trial the pricing is as follows:
Simple: £5,000 – £15,000 excluding VAT
Medium: £15,000 – £25,000 excluding VAT
Complex: £25,000 – £75,000 excluding VAT
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 -8 weeks.
If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 26 – 52 weeks. 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.
If you have home contents or buildings insurance you should check and see whether you have legal expense insurance as part of the policy. You have the right to choose your solicitor and so if your insurer tries to compel you to use a solicitor from their panel please refer them to us and we will challenge them on this point and insist that you can continue to use this firm if you so wish.
If you have home contents or buildings insurance you should check and see whether you have legal expense insurance as part of the policy. You have the right to choose your solicitor and so if your insurer tries to compel you to use a solicitor from their panel please refer them to us and we will challenge them on this point and insist that you can continue to use this firm if you so wish. If you do have insurance we may be able to fund your claim under the terms of the policy. If you have either contents or buildings insurance please provide a copy of the policy in so that we can review the terms with you and see if cover might be available. If you have another kind of legal expense insurance cover please also provide a copy of the policy so that I can review it with you to see if cover is available. The policy is likely to only cover you from the time we issue proceedings, so any work carried out by the practice before this will still have to be paid on a private hourly basis. You will need to check this with your insurer.
We might be able to offer no-win-no-fee funding arrangements on a case by case basis.
A no win no fee agreement, also known as a conditional fee agreement, allows you to make an employment law claim without paying any solicitors’ fees upfront. You only pay if your claim is successful – if it is not, you will not have to pay any legal fees to your solicitor.
Only in very exceptional circumstances will you be at risk of having to pay your employer’s costs. If it is ever a possibility, we will tell you straight away.
When you contact us, we will arrange a consultation and advise you on whether we believe you have an employment law claim.
We do not participate in the Legal Aid Scheme.
Details of the Scheme are below for your information:
Legal aid may be available to people on low incomes for discrimination matters
Legal aid funding is only available for employment cases involving discrimination. To be eligible for legal aid, you will need to pass both a merits test (that the case has prospects of success) and a means test. To pass the means test your gross monthly income (or combined income if you have a partner) must be not more than £2,657 before tax. Your net income (after tax, housing and other costs) must be no more than £733 per month. If you have savings (or combined savings if you have a partner) of more than £8,000 you won’t get legal aid. If you have more than £3,000 in savings you are likely to have to make a contribution towards your legal costs.
You can check eligibility online here: https://checklegalaid.service.gov.uk/
To apply for legal aid for employment cases you must contact the Civil Legal Advice (CLA) service. You can do so by telephoning 0345 345 4345. The CLA will check if you are eligible and then refer you either to one of their specialist providers, or to an external adviser (local law centre or participating solicitor’s firm).