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Employment Dispute Costs

We usually work on the basis of hourly rates, although we may be able to agree fixed fees in some cases.  It is difficult to estimate the full costs of dealing with a claim as each claim will involve different facts and complexities.  We do not offer conditional fee agreements, damages based agreements or ‘no win no fee’ type arrangements. 

Employment Dispute Costs

Our estimated pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal vary according to the complexity of the matter. 

  • Simple case: £4,000-£7,000 + VAT 
  • Medium complexity case: £7,000-£12,000 + VAT 
  • High complexity case: £12,000-£25,000 + VAT. 

The estimated costs set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of pursuing or defending 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 the claim form or response. 
  • Reviewing and advising on the claim or response received from the other party. 
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the case. 
  • Preparing or considering the 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 the bundle of documents for use in evidence at the hearing. 
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements. 
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or a cast list. 
  • Preparation for the Final Hearing, including instructions preparing instructions to Counsel. 

The stages set out above are an indication of the work required to deal with an Employment Tribunal case to conclusion. If some of stages above are not required, the fee will be less.  Factors that could make a case more complex include:

  • 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 which need to be dealt with. 
  • A higher number of witnesses and/or larger volume of documents. 
  • Automatically unfair dismissal claims e.g. those involving dismissals allegedly linked to whistleblowing or health and safety complaints. 
  • Claims featuring allegations of discrimination linked to the dismissal. 
Our Costs

Our cost estimates are based on the complexity of the matter and the hourly rates of the team members advising on the matter: 

Work undertaken by: Cost per hour (exclusive of VAT)
Partner £300
Senior Associate Solicitor £235
Associate Solicitor £225
HR Consultant £155
Trainee Solicitor £135
Paralegal £105

Work will be allocated to team members with a view to undertaking the work as efficiently and economically as possible for you.  

There will be additional charges for attendance at Final Hearings, based on our hourly rates. Generally, we would anticipate 1 to 2 days for a simple case and anywhere from 2 to 10 days for more complex cases (which may include issues such as discrimination which go beyond unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal). 

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. A likely disbursement in an Employment Tribunal case is Counsel’s fees. These are estimated at between £1,000-£3,500 + VAT per day (depending on experience and specialism) for representation at an Employment Tribunal Hearing. Additional conferences with Counsel regarding merits of the claim or strategy at any part of the claim process will be separately and additionally chargeable. 

 

Meet our Employment and HR team

Emma Butterworth

Partner Employment & HR
t: 0161 250 6766
m: 07502 542576

Jamie Campbell

Partner Employment & HR
t: 01772 925381
m: 07880 114410

David Carmichael

Partner Employment & HR
t: 0161 528 4410
m: 07879 891001

Roger Spence

Partner Employment & HR
t: 01772 374731
m: 07584 373929

Katy Parkinson

Senior Associate Solicitor Employment & HR
t: 01772 925251
m: 07796 583460

Hannah Dickie

Associate Solicitor Employment & HR
t: 01524 952 715
m: 07810 891671

Alex Barr

Solicitor Employment & HR
t: 01772 208537

Helen Russell

HR Consultant Employment & HR
t: 01772 395013
m: 07880 507435

Louise Shaw

Trainee Solicitor Employment & HR
t: 01772 258321

Ethan Jayne

Apprentice Solicitor Employment & HR
t: 01772 429263

Harrison Drury have a highly experienced Private Client team operating across the North West with collective experience of over 210 years delivering specialist legal advice in this area. This includes top level tax planning, contentious probate disputes and dealing with national and international issues. Members of our team sit on HMRC and STEP expert panels ensuring that you have the best advice possible in relation to probate and ongoing succession issues.

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