Personal
Employers must comply with a wide range of employment legislation, including UK law and retained EU requirements. If you are experiencing problems at work or have concerns about your employment rights, our experienced employment solicitors are here to help.
We provide clear, practical advice to individuals across a broad range of employment law matters. Whether you are facing difficulties at work, considering your position following dismissal, or need guidance on your rights, we will support you through the process and explain your options clearly.
We regularly advise individuals on matters including:
Our employment law specialists have extensive experience preparing strong cases and acting on behalf of individuals in negotiations and tribunal proceedings, always with a focus on achieving a fair and proportionate outcome.
A range of funding options may be available depending on the nature of your case. Further details about costs and funding arrangements are provided below.
Whether you are an employer or employee and you would like legal advice or representation in respect of an employment matter, there are a number of ways in which that can be funded.
Free initial telephone consultation.
We will always endeavour to assist you at the outset by way of an initial telephone conversation. We use this as an opportunity to understand the issues that you are facing and so that we can advise you of the options that may be available to you going forward. We can advise you as to the likely costs involved and explore funding options that might be available to you and your circumstances.
We offer competitive hourly rates if you would prefer to pay for advice or representation as you go. The lowest hourly rate that we apply is £160 + VAT (£192.00 inclusive), and the highest is £295 + VAT (£354.00 inclusive). At the outset of your matter we will provide you with an estimate of costs and as your case progresses we will provide you with regular updates on costs so that you are always kept up to date.
You may wish to pay for advice and representation on an hourly rate basis but with a particular budget in mind. We often agree with clients that we will undertake work on their behalf with a “fee ceiling” and we agree that we will not exceed their budget.
In exceptional cases we can offer employees Damages Based Agreements if upon an initial assessment of a case we believe that it is likely to win and if it has sufficient value. These agreements are more commonly known as “no-win no-fee” agreements whereby we will agree to defer payment of our fees until the successful conclusion of your case. Our fees will be an agreed percentage of any compensation that you recover, of up to 35% including VAT. If your case is unsuccessful, you will have nothing to pay. However, if in order to assess the viability of us acting under a DBA we are required to spend time reviewing documents or discussing matters with you in detail we may charge a fee for doing so, which we will agree with you before any work is undertaken.
Employers and employees may have insurance policies which carry with them legal expenses insurance. You should always check whether your insurance policies would cover the legal costs of your particular employment issue and we may be able to agree with your insurer that they pay us an hourly rate for work that we carry out on your behalf.
We regularly advise employees in relation to settlement agreements. Settlement agreements are a valid way of terminating an individual’s employment and they can provide benefits for both parties. For employees, your employer will usually make a contribution towards the cost of you obtaining advice upon the terms and effect of the document (up to a predetermined limit).
We offer advice and representation in relation to bringing claims within the Employment Tribunals for unfair and wrongful dismissal. Funding options including private funding, and funding under a Damages Based Agreement (see above).
The below information is based on typical claims brought for unfair or wrongful dismissal where the matter is privately funded. These estimates are intended to be used as guidance and are not intended to be fixed. Each potential claim will be assessed on its own merits, and an overall estimate of costs and disbursements given at the outset of any claim.
Simple case: £5,000-£10,000 + VAT (£6,000 – £12,000 inclusive)
Medium complexity case: £10,000 – £20,000 + VAT (£12,000 – £24,000 inclusive)
High complexity case: £20,000< + VAT (£24,000+ inclusive)
Factors that could make a case more complex:
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. Counsels’ fees estimated between £1,500 to £3,000 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation)
The fees set out cover work undertaken during the following key stages of a typical claim:
These stages are indicative only. If some stages are not required, fees may be reduced. If additional work is required, fees may increase.
The time required to resolve an employment law matter will depend on its complexity and the stage at which it concludes. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, the matter may take up to around four months. If the claim proceeds to a final Employment Tribunal hearing, it is likely to take between six and twelve months. These timescales are estimates only, and we will be able to provide more accurate guidance as your matter progresses.
You can view our Employment Law team members here. All members of the team have experience across a wide range of employment law matters, including settlement agreements, bringing and defending Employment Tribunal claims, unfair and wrongful dismissal, and cases involving discrimination and victimisation.
