Employment Tribunal Claims

WE ARE REQUIRED BY THE SRA TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING COSTS INFORMATION IN RELATION THE SPECIFIC SERVICES OUTLINED BELOW.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE FULL RANGE OF SERVICES WE OFFER, PLEASE CLICK HERE. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE CHARGE FOR OUR OTHER SERVICES PLEASE CONTACT THE RELEVANT TEAM.

EMPLOYMENT: INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS BRINGING AN EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL CLAIM (UNFAIR  & WRONGFUL DISMISSAL)

The Joelson employment team specialises in acting for senior level executives in bringing employment tribunal claims where it is not possible to reach settlement terms with the employer. Costs for bringing an employment tribunal claim are based on our applicable hourly rates which range from £125 to £475 per hour (plus VAT and disbursements), depending on the level of experience of the fee earner dealing with the work. The total cost of bringing a claim depends on its complexity and how many days the tribunal decides the final hearing will take.  Costs to a full contested hearing are likely to range between £25k-£100k+ (plus VAT and disbursements).

Value Added Tax (VAT)

All references to ‘VAT’  are intended to refer to Value Added Tax. That is an additional sum ordinarily levied for services provided and is calculated on a % basis of the sum being invoiced (as applicable, at the relevant invoice date).  Currently, the VAT rate is 20%.

VAT is not payable if you (or your company) are located outside of the United Kingdom.

Range of likely costs:

• A simple case: £25k-£35k (plus VAT and disbursements).
• A case of medium complexity: £25k- £65k (plus VAT and disbursements).
• A case of high complexity: £65k- £100k+ (plus VAT and disbursements).

Factors which influence complexity of a claim:

• Making and defending applications prior to final hearing
• Making or defending a costs application
• Complex preliminary issues
• Number of witnesses and amount of documentation
• Allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing which are linked to the dismissal (please note the costs information in this section relates to claims for unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal only)
• Appeals

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £1,200-£2,400 per day (plus VAT).

Disbursements:

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as counsel’s fees. We will handle any disbursement payments on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel’s fees are estimated between £1,500-£3,000 (plus VAT) per day for attending the final hearing, dependant on seniority. This estimate does not include counsel’s fees for preparation which are likely to be in the region of £1,500-£3,000 (plus VAT) per day.

Key stages:

The fees above relate to the following key stages of a claim:

• Taking initial instructions, reviewing documentation and advising you on the merits of your claim and the value of any likely awards
• Entering into mandatory pre-claim conciliation to explore whether a settlement can be reached
• Preparing claim
• Reviewing and advising on the counter-claim from the other party, if any
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
• Preparing a schedule of loss and/or reviewing a counter schedule of loss
• Preparing for and attending preliminary hearings
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
• Preparing bundles of documents
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
• Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and a witness list
• Preparation and attendance at final hearing, including preparing brief to Counsel

If you wish to handle the claim yourself, we are able to provide advice in relation to some of the above stages at your request. This can be tailored to your individual needs.

How long your matter takes is very much dependent on the point at which it gets resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your claim is likely to resolved within a matter of weeks. However, if your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case could take 26-52 weeks. This is just a rough estimate and a more accurate timescale can be provided once we are better acquainted with the specifics of your case.

Employment Team information

Our employment team has over 50 years of combined experience in delivering high quality employment law advice.

The team has Legal 500 recognised expertise in acting for employers and senior level executives.

Employment partners are supported by a team of fee earners with different levels of experience. The work of our junior fee earners is always supervised by a partner.

Employment Team members:-

Jennifer Maxwell-Harris
Jonathan Bruck
Imogen Higgins-Smith

Trainee (trainees rotate department every 6 months as part of their two-year training contract with us – all their work in supervised by a partner).