Employment Pricing
We are now obliged by our professional rules to give standard information about our prices.
We are happy to give initial advice, normally by telephone/Zoom, without charge, and we do this frequently.
We will then quote on a bespoke basis for initial written advice, or advice in a meeting, or both, after having inspected relevant documents and if necessary having discussed the case further with you by telephone. Typically, the cost of this advice this will vary from between £500 - £1,000 plus VAT, depending on the factual and legal complexity of the matter, but the fee can be above, or exceptionally, below, this range.
You will NEVER get an unexpected bill from us.
Our prices are the same whether we act for employers or employees.
In non-contentious and general advice matters we try to give a fixed fee where the parameters of the case are known, and all relevant documents have been provided. Otherwise, we give initial fee limits, which will not be exceeded without your express prior consent. When we act for employees negotiating settlement agreements, we are often able to negotiate an increase in the employer’s contribution to your legal fees.
We undertake a substantial amount of non-contentious employment work for both employers and employees.
If the matter is, or is likely to become, contentious, as a part of our initial written advice we will try to guide you as to whether we regard your case as being of low, medium, or high complexity for the purposes of our contentious matter fee structure, and in any event we will give you an estimate of your likely costs. Experience tells us, however, that as a case progresses an apparently straightforward matter can become far more complex than it first appeared, and so we reserve the right to vary our fee estimate in such circumstances. We will keep you informed of your costs as your case progresses.
In contentious (Employment Tribunal or High Court matters) our prices typically are as follows:
Low Complexity Case
£5,000 - £10,000 plus VAT and disbursements.
Examples of such cases might include bringing or defending a straightforward unlawful deduction from wages case, or a simple redundancy payment or unfair dismissal claim in the Employment Tribunal.
Medium Complexity Case
£10,000 - £20,000 plus VAT and disbursements.
Examples of such cases might include a bringing or defending a ‘standard ‘unfair dismissal claim or breach of contract claim, or a less complex discrimination claim.
High Complexity Case
£20,000 - £50,000 plus VAT and disbursements.
Examples of such cases might include bringing or defending complex or lengthy unfair dismissal claims (such as whistleblowing claims or claims relating to trade union activities), complex discrimination claims, substantial equal pay claims, or litigation relating to restrictive covenants, confidential information etc (including bringing or defending applications for interlocutory or interim injunctions).
In exceptional cases total costs can exceed these ‘maximum’ figures.
In contentious matters the fees which you will ultimately be charged will depend on time we spend working on your case. This can be affected by many factors including:
1. The factual complexity of the matter.
2. The legal complexity of the matter.
3. The extent and complexity of the pre-action work required, including compliance with relevant protocols.
4. The number of factual witnesses to be proofed and the length and nature of their evidence and any further investigation required.
5. Whether any expert witnesses are required.
6. The number and complexity of the documents in the case.
7. The extent and complexity of any interlocutory proceedings (interim matters pending trial or final hearing).
8. The extent to which specialist counsel is instructed in the case prior to the final hearing or trial and the nature of that involvement (e.g. if counsel is asked to advise in writing on evidence or to advise in conference). This will vary according to the complexity and value of the case.
9. The extent and nature of any settlement negotiations (including dealing with ACAS).
10. The duration of the final hearing.
11. The extent and nature of any appeal.
In almost all cases the most expensive disbursement, by far, will be counsels’ fees. Counsel are not always instructed but when we do instruct counsel we use only specialist employment chambers in London. Counsels’ fees from such chambers can vary from £250/hour for a junior barrister to £1,000/hour or more for a specialist QC, plus VAT and any expenses (e.g. travelling expenses) in each case. For trials and final hearings counsel will normally charge a fixed ‘brief fee’ for the preparatory work and attendance on the first day, and a ‘refresher’ for attendance at the Employment Tribunal or Court on each subsequent day. We negotiate brief fees and refreshers with the barristers’ clerks and would always liaise with you before formally delivering the brief and causing you to incur the initial cost.