Bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal in the Employment Tribunal - Nicholson Portnell Solicitors

Costs for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal in the Employment Tribunal

All employment work is undertaken by our Litigation and Dispute Resolution department. The team is headed by Emma Heather, Solicitor and Partner, who has over 10 years experience of this type of work. Emma has dealt with litigation at all levels including appeals and applications to set-aside judgments. The depth of her knowledge and breadth of experience mean that she knows what issues to look for at an early stage to avoid complications at a later stage.

Please click here for further details about us

Key stages

The fees set out below cover the relevant 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 can also be arranged on your individual needs.

The law requires solicitors to get satisfactory evidence of the identity of their clients. Our standard practice is to meet with our client in person and inspect their original passport or photocard driving licence and an original utility bill with their address on it (that is dated within the last three months). If it is not possible for us to meet with our client in person to verify their identity, or for our clients to supply the appropriate identification documents, we may need to carry out electronic identification checks. The electronic identification checks will result in a cost of £5 plus VAT per person.

Our Fees

	Preliminary advice only (no communication or correspondence with your opponent and no proceedings commenced)	£250 – £750
	Pre-proceedings advice and representation (including preparing a formal letter before claim / formal response to a letter before claim, negotiating with your opponent, Early Conciliation through ACAS, drafting / approving / negotiating the terms of a Settlement Agreement)	£500 – £5,000
Employment Tribunal proceedings (The charges include the cost of a member of our team attending the Tribunal Hearing if that is considered, by us, to be necessary when you are represented at the Tribunal Hearing by a Barrister.)	Simple case (Simple Tribunal Hearings will usually last 1 day or less.)	£1,000 – £10,000
	Medium complexity case (Medium complexity Tribunal Hearings usually last 1 – 3 days.)	£5,000 – £20,000
	High complexity case (High complexity Tribunal Hearings can last up to several weeks.)	£10,000 – £100,000
VAT is charged on our fees at the prevailing rate (currently 20%).

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 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.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Barrister’s fees estimated between £1,000 to £10,000 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

VAT is charged on disbursements at the prevailing rate.

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 may be concluded within a 2-4 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 35 – 50 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.

Contact Nicholson Portnell

Contact our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department: Tel: 01434 603656

Costs for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal in the Employment Tribunal

Key stages

Our Fees

Disbursements

How long will my matter take?

NICHOLSON PORTNELL SOLICITORS

QUICK MENU

CONTACT US:

DATA PROTECTION