Price Transparency Policy

We are required by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority to publish information on the prices we charge for certain services. Those services include employment tribunal claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal where we act for members of the public and for business, motoring offences and debt recovery.

Employment Tribunal Claims 

The information on this page relates to employment tribunal claims for unfair and/wrongful dismissal.

Please note the information set out below does not apply to you or your organisation where you have agreed a different charging arrangement with us.

Our standard, non-discounted hourly rates for employment tribunal claims are set out below. All stated prices are exclusive of VAT.

Partner/Director: £200.00

Paralegal: £150.00

The amount of work we do (and therefore our costs) in an employment tribunal claim will depend on the type of claim and the circumstances of the case. An important factor is whether there is a linked claim such as discrimination or whistleblowing because these types of additional claims will usually increase the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses who may be required. Another factor that impacts on the likely legal costs is the length of the final hearing, which is determined by the employment tribunal, based on the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses.

We make our pricing structure and our estimate of costs clear at the outset of each case and, where appropriate, keep that estimate under review.

It is important to note that we will always try to resolve the matter at hand as quickly as possible, thereby limiting your legal expense.

Depending on complexity, it can take between three months and eighteen months (or longer) to prepare an unfair/wrongful dismissal case for a final hearing. Some cases require several preliminary hearings during the months leading up to a final hearing.

A hearing for a straightforward claim such as wrongful dismissal can usually be heard by an employment tribunal within one day. Unfair dismissal hearings often last between two and five days. Cases involving more complicated claims such as discrimination and whistleblowing, or where there are many witnesses, can take three weeks or longer to be heard. A typical case can range between £10,000 to £20,000 plus VAT should the matter proceed to Trial.

Disbursements (expenses) will include the use of counsel, where appropriate. Counsel’s fees are negotiated on your behalf and agreed with you. Counsel’s fees vary depending on their seniority and experience.

These costs do not include the cost of challenging or appealing against the employment tribunal’s decisions. Of course, the rule of thumb referred to above is approximate and cannot take account of the specific circumstances of the case.

Debt Recovery

The following sets out the costs for our commercial debt recovery work for claims up to the value of £100,000.00 against debtors located within England and Wales. The costs below apply where the claim is not disputed. Costs for debt claims above £100,000.00 value are available on request.

If there is a dispute prior to the issue of proceedings, we will discuss any further work required and provide a revised costs estimate, which will be in line with the funding arrangement agreed in your engagement (i.e. hourly rate/damages based agreement/conditional fee agreement).

The first stage is to prepare and send the debtor a Letter Before Action (LBA), setting out the amount of the debt owed, how the debt was incurred and details of how and when the debt can be paid. The costs of preparing a typical LBA that is fully compliant with the Pre-Action Protocol is usually between £3,000.00 to £7,500.00 plus VAT, but this may increase depending on the volume of documents to be reviewed and complexity of the case.

The debtor usually has a minimum of 30 days to respond to an LBA,but this can be extended to up to 90 days in complex cases. Legal proceedings will be issued if the debtor fails to respond within the required timeframe.

All debt recovery claims up to the value of £100,000 are filed in the County Court. We will need to complete both a Claim Form and a bespoke Particulars of Claim prior to issuing proceedings. We usually undertake this work on an hourly rate basis and our standard hourly rates set out below will apply to your case.

If the nature of the work is particularly complex then we will instruct Counsel to prepare the Particulars of Claim where appropriate. Counsel’s fees are negotiated on your behalf and agreed with you. Counsel’s fees vary with their relevant seniority and experience.

The debtor (now defendant) will have 14 days from receipt of the Claim Form and/or Particulars of Claim in which to respond by filing either an Acknowledgement of Service or a Defence. If an Acknowledgement of Service is filed within 14 days of service of the Particulars of Claim, the defendant then has a further 14 days to file a Defence to the claim. If the defendant fails to file a Defence, you can request the Court to enter a judgment against them in default and then proceed to enforce the judgment and recover payment. 

Fees will be discussed at each appropriate stage and will depend upon the circumstances of your case.. In most circumstances, these costs will be recoverable from the debtor but again this will be discussed with you.