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Employment tribunal fees

Each case is unique with no two cases being the same. As such, we have set out below a range of costs depending on the complexity of your matter.

We offer a fixed fee first appointment for all employment matters. This is £150 plus VAT and includes a follow up letter of advice. Further advice is payable at an hourly rate of £240 per hour plus VAT.

If your matter proceeds to Employment Tribunal our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful or constructive dismissal are set out below.

Simple case: £3,500-£6,000 plus 20% VAT

Medium complexity case: £6,000-£15,000 plus 20% VAT

High complexity case: £15,000-£20,000 plus 20% VAT

Factors that could make a case more complex:

  • 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
  • If the hearing is listed for more than one day.

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.

The likely disbursements in your matter would be that of Counsel's fees estimated between £1,500 to £3,750 plus 20% VAT per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation). There are currently no tribunal fees for issuing a claim.

A more detailed cost estimate, specific to your set of circumstances, will be provided to you upon our instruction. Please call our Employment team on 01664 563162 for further information.

You may have other funding options available, such as cover under an insurance policy, we will check this with you at your first appointment.

Alternative Funding Arrangements

Our firm does not provide any BTE (before the event) and/or ATE (after the event) types of insurance cover. Nor do we offer any ‘no win no fee’ arrangement.

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following 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 only. If some of stages above are not required, the fee may 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.

How long will my matter take?

Employment tribunal claims take a long time. A tribunal claim is not a fast process. 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 is likely to take 1 – 2 months. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 8 – 18 months from the time of starting your claim. 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.

Estate administration

Following the death of a relative or friend it may be necessary to apply to the Probate Registry for a Grant of Representation. This would be a Grant of Probate if the Deceased made a Will or a Grant of Letters of Administration if there is no Will. We are here to help you at this difficult time with the following services:

1. Full Administration

We can help you by dealing with the whole estate, from collating the assets and liabilities to the final distribution to the beneficiaries. How long this takes and the exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter.

Typically, for a relatively simple estate consisting of one residential property, a couple of bank accounts and a few other investments such as premium bonds, we would anticipate a time frame of between 8 and 10 hours of work at an average of £250.00 per hour plus VAT at 20%. In addition, there will be a further charge based on 1% plus VAT at 20% of the gross value of the assets in the estate passing under the will or the intestacy rules with the exception of any freehold or leasehold properties held within the estate which will attract a lower additional charge of 0.5% plus VAT at 20%. Joint assets passing by survivorship will not attract the value element of charge.

On this basis, we would estimate that the total of our costs involved in an average estate would be between £3,500 to £4,500 plus VAT at 20%. We would hope that, on average, estates that fall within this range are finalised within 4-6 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Representation takes 3-4 months. Collecting in the assets then follows which can take 3-4 weeks and, once this has been done, we can distribute the assets to the beneficiaries which normally takes 3-4 weeks.

If there is only one beneficiary, or the estate consists only of cash assets, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries or numerous bank accounts and other assets, costs will be at the higher end.

This illustration of our costs however assumes that:

  • There is a valid will
  • There is no more than one property
  • There are no more than four bank or building society accounts
  • There are no other intangible assets
  • There are only a few beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
  • There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
  • There are no claims which are likely to be made against the estate
  • There is no foreign property

Our Full Administration includes the following:

  • Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
  • Identifying the executors administrators and beneficiaries of the estate
  • Accurately identifying the type of Grant application you will require
  • Obtaining the relevant documents and information required to make the application
  • Completing the Grant application
  • Arranging for you to sign the Legal Statement to obtain the Grant
  • Submitting the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf
  • Obtaining the Grant of Representation
  • Collecting in and distributing all assets in the estate in accordance with the will or the intestacy rules

In addition to our own costs, there are likely to be some out of pocket expenses (known as Disbursements). These are costs related to the administration of the estate 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 and will itemise these on the bill or Estate Account. Common Disbursements are:

Probate application fee £ 300.00
Additional copies of the grant £ 1.50 each
Bankruptcy searches £ 2.00 plus VAT at 20% per beneficiary
Trustee Act Notices £ 200.00 (approx.) plus VAT at 20%

PLEASE NOTE:

If there is no will, or if the estate consists of substantial assets, or there are other complications, costs are likely to be significantly higher depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included in this illustration.

2. Grant only applications

If the affairs of the Deceased are straight forward, and you just need help in obtaining the required grant from the Probate Registry, then we offer a Grant Only service for a fixed fee of £950.00 plus VAT at 20% plus Disbursements which would probably only involve a Probate application fee and the cost of any copies of the Grant that may be required.

In order for us to apply for the required Grant of Representation you will need to provide us with a full breakdown of the Assets and Liabilities of the estate following which we will be able to prepare the application for the Grant of Representation. Typically, once this information is available, the application can be submitted to the Probate Registry within 2 – 4 weeks. The Probate Registry is currently taking between 3-4 months from receipt to process applications.

Once the Grant has been received from the Probate Registry we will forward the document to you together with any copies so that you may deal with the Estate Administration yourself.

This service includes the following:

  • Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
  • Identifying the executors or administrators of the estate
  • Accurately identifying the type of Grant application you will require
  • Completing the Grant application
  • Arranging for you to sign the Legal Statement to obtain the Grant
  • Submitting the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf
  • Obtaining the Grant of Representation and forwarding copies to you to enable you to deal with the administration of the estate

Unfortunately, we are only able to offer our Grant Only service for simple estates..

Debt recovery: Range of fixed fees for a business to business debt that is undisputed

Court Claims

These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed, and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs, if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.

 

Debt value Court fee (no VAT) Our fee (excluding 20% VAT) Total (inclusive of 20% VAT)
Up to £300 £35 £500 – £1,250 + (20% VAT) £635 – £1,535
£300.01 to £500 £50 £500 – £1,250 + (20% VAT) £650 – £1,550
£500.01 to £1,000 £70 £500 – £1,250 + (20% VAT) £670 – £1,570
£1,000.01 to £1,500 £80 £500 – £1,250 + (20% VAT) £680 – £1,580
£1,500.01 to £3,000 £115 £500 – £1,250 + (20% VAT) £715 – £1,615
£3,000.01 to £5,000 £205 £1,500 – £2,500 + (20% VAT) £1,705 – £3,205
£5,000.01 to £10,000 £455 £2,500 – £3,500 + (20% VAT) £3,455 – £4,655
£10,000.01 to £200,000 5% of the claim Hourly rate of £240 plus 20% VAT Hourly rate of £240 plus 20% VAT plus 5% of the claim
More than £200,000 £10,000 Hourly rate of £240 plus 20% VAT Hourly rate of £240 plus 20% VAT plus £10,000 Court fee

 

Statutory Demands

A Statutory Demand is a direct route to starting insolvency proceedings. Without a Court judgment, before you can serve a bankruptcy or winding up petition upon a debtor, you must serve a Statutory Demand for the outstanding debt. You can only use a Statutory Demand if the debt is more than £750 and is not disputed.

If a debtor fails to pay within the time limit, then insolvency proceedings may be started without notice to the debtor. A Statutory Demand can be a very powerful collection tool, so it must be used carefully as there are risks of penalties in costs if misused.

Our fixed fee for this service, including service by post, is between £250 - £750 plus 20% VAT, whether there is a recovery of the debt or not. If personal service of demand is required, the expenses incurred will be charged in addition to this cost.

 

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

  • The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
  • Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
  • The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.

 

Our fee includes:

  • Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation;
  • Undertaking appropriate searches;
  • Sending a letter before action;
  • Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim;
  • Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the Court to enter Judgement in default;
  • When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment;
  • If payment is not received within 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.

 

Matters usually take 6 – 18 months (as a guide) from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.

It should be remembered that the costs remain to be paid by the client and there is no guarantee that any costs or monies can be recovered from the debtor.

Obtaining a Court judgment

When obtaining a Court judgment there is a fee payable to us of up to £500 plus VAT plus the recoverable fixed Court fees plus VAT as outlined in the following table.

 

Hourly fees for our debt recovery services

If the debt you are pursuing becomes disputed or, in instances where you may benefit from additional advice/services, your file will be dealt with by the litigation solicitor who specialises in such matters.

Fees will only be incurred in this way, having obtained your express instructions to do so. As we cannot always know in advance precisely what work is going to be involved, we will provide you with the best information possible about the likely cost at the beginning of the matter and at intervals while the matter proceeds.

Our hourly rates are £240 plus 20% VAT.

The above fees cover all work done, including:

  • Time spent in meetings with you and others;
  • Preparing documents;
  • Preparing advice;
  • Reading and preparing letters, emails and faxes;
  • Telephone calls made and received;
  • Any other activity necessary to progress your matter.

Sometimes we may increase the rates outlined above – we will notify you of the changes prior to them taking effect.

The hourly rate is specific to the work you have asked us to undertake and may reflect the value of the property or assets involved, unusual complexity, levels of responsibility, an exceptional value of our work to you, working unsociable hours or unusual speed applied to your matter.

Type of entry of Judgement Where the amount of the judgment exceeds £25 but does not exceed £5,000 Where the amount of the judgment exceeds £5,000
Where judgment in default of an acknowledgement of service is entered £100 - 150 + 20% VAT £120 - – £170 + 20% VAT
Where judgment in default of a defence is entered £120 – £170 + 20% VAT £150 – £200 + 20% VAT
Where judgment is entered on an admission £150 – £200 + 20% VAT £200 – £250 + 20% VAT
Where judgment is entered on an admission (or an admission of part of the claim) and the Court decides the date or time of payment £200 – £250 + 20% VAT £250 – £300 + 20% VAT

 

Fixed costs on entry of judgment in a claim for the recovery of money, goods or services provided

The Court rules allow you to recover some of these sums from the debtor though the exact amount you can recover changes from time to time.

Fees for additional services

We will always confirm the fees for each case with you prior to taking action and/or proceeding to the next stage.

The fixed fees include an element of our time in processing the application, as well as our payment to a third party supplier. The fees below are intended as a guideline only as the expenses we pay may vary from case to case.

If Court fees are applicable, then these are payable in addition to legal costs.

 

Service Guideline fee for our time plus 20% VAT Guideline expense Overall fixed fee plus VAT
Trace of person/business £30 – £50 £65 - £115 Positive Trace – £95
Additional administrative charge to appoint lawyer agents for recovery outside of England and Wales £70 – £90 N/A £75
Consumer credit check £23 £2 £25
Land Registry search £21 £4.20 + 20% VAT £24
Winding up petition search £15 N/A £15
Bankruptcy search £15 Free £15
Instalment monitoring £15 N/A £15 per instalment
Bailiff’s warrant £75 £91 – Court fee £249
High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) £80 £78 – Court fee (debts over £600 only) £158
Attachment of earnings £175 £131 – Court fee £306
Charging orders £175 £174 £349
Third-party debt order £175 £131 £306
UK lawyer agents Chargeable by time Various N/A
Questioning debtor about means £100 £65– Court fee £165 plus costs to serve
Certificate of money provisions £80 £47 £127
21-Day LBA warning of commencement of bankruptcy/winding up proceedings (Statutory Demand) £125   £125 + costs for personal service

Licensing applications

Licensing applications in relation to businesses: Range of costs and fixed fee

If you are applying for a new premises licence or to vary a premises licence to allow those premises to be used for one or more licensable activities, we cover two types of applications – applications for a premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003 and applications to vary a premises licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003.

The normal range of costs for cases in the following way:

Fixed fee example for an application for a new premises licence (Simple application)

Fixed fee of £750.00 – £1,000 (plus 20% VAT but excluding disbursements).

This fee is made up of:

  • Legal fees £750.00 – £1,000;
  • VAT on legal fees £150.00 – £200 (20%)

Hourly rate charges fee example for applications (Depending on complexity)

  • Simple application: based on 2-3 hours at an hourly rate of £240.00 + 20% VAT (£48.00) = £288.00 per hour.
  • Medium complexity: based on 4-6 hours at an £240.00 + 20% VAT (£48.00) = £288.00 per hour.
  • High complexity: based on 7-9 hours at an £240.00 + 20% VAT (£48.00) = £288.00 per hour.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as the application fee. We will pay the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

  • Application fee (payable to licensing authority) is subject to change, and we will discuss at time of the application;
  • Advertising fee £300 – £500.00;
  • Enquiry agent fees to display public notices £120.00 – £320.00;
  • Special delivery fee to serve the application £6.50 – £41.20;
  • Printing additional copies of plans if necessary £9.00.

These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. The fees can on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.

Fee includes:

  • Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application;
  • Advising you as the type of plans you are required to submit with your application;
  • Completing the application form for a new premises licence (including the operating schedule) in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local licensing authority alongside suitable plans. You must provide suitable plans;
  • Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority;
  • Preparing copies of the premises licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities;
  • Drafting the notices advertising the premises licence application and submitting the notice to the local newspaper;
  • Arranging with you for you to display the notice(s) advertising the premises licence application and advising as to where and how this should be done by you in order to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003;
  • Providing a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by yourself;
  • Checking the licence once granted and correcting any errors with the licensing authority.

The fee does not include:

  • obtaining suitable plans;
  • attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this meeting;
  • dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties;
  • advising on varying the licence;
  • attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required, then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at an hourly rate.

How long will my application take?

Matters usually take 2-10 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you. This is based on the application being relatively straightforward and you being able to provide all the necessary documents promptly. If your matter is more complex, for example, if there is substantial opposition from interested parties, or if there is a delay in receiving the documents we need, it may take longer.

Residential Conveyancing

On your purchase

As a guide the main areas of work in connection with your purchase are as follows:

  1. Obtaining your instructions and obtaining notification of sale from the estate agent.
  2. Obtaining a Contract and copies of the title deeds, the Property Information Form and Fittings and Contents Form from your seller’s solicitors.
  3. Advising you in connection therewith.
  4. Obtaining all relevant searches and advising you in connection therewith.
  5. Obtaining your mortgage offer (if appropriate) and dealing with any requirements of your mortgagee.
  6. Arranging to meet with you to go through all of the Contract papers and to arrange for you to sign the Contract.
  7. Agreeing a completion date with you.
  8. Obtaining your mortgage funds or other funds in time for the date of completion.
  9. Carrying out pre-completion searches.
  10. Arranging for you to sign the Transfer and Mortgage Deed.
  11. Attending to the legal formalities on the day of completion and arranging for the keys to be released to you.
  12. Attending to stamp duty.
  13. Registering you as the owner of the property at HM Land Registry.
  14. Returning any required documents to your lender and sending you a copy of the completed registration at HM Land Registry.
  15. We will keep your file for a minimum of six years to comply with our professional rules.

In connection with your sale

As a guide the main areas of work in connection with your sale are as follows:

  1. Obtaining your instructions and obtaining notification of sale from the estate agent.
  2. Obtaining copies of your title deeds.
  3. Confirming instructions with your buyer’s solicitors.
  4. Arranging for you to complete a Property Information Form and a list of Fittings and Contents.
  5. Sending a Contract, copies of your title deeds, the Property Information Form and Fittings and contents Form to your buyer’s solicitor.
  6. Dealing with any enquiries that they may wish to raise.
  7. Arranging for you to sign the contract.
  8. Attending to exchange of Contracts.
  9. Obtaining a redemption figure for any mortgage.
  10. Arranging for you to sign the Transfer.
  11. Attending to the legal formalities on the day of completion.
  12. Paying off your mortgage.
  13. Dealing with the estate agent’s fees.
  14. Forwarding to you the funds due to you.
  15. Following completion we will retain your file for at least six years to comply with our professional rules.

Time estimates are difficult as every matter is different but as a general guide, if there are no major issues, an average timescale could be between 12 and 16 weeks.