Employment Tribunal Services

• Defending claims brought by litigants in person
• The cooperativeness and responsiveness of the other parties involved
• The Tribunal’s approach to your claim and its capacity
• Whether there is a need to appoint experts and obtain expert evidence
• If there are complex preliminary issues to be determined (e.g. disability of the Claimant, if this is contested)
• The extent of disclosure (e.g. number of witnesses and relevant documents involved)
• If there are allegations of discrimination or harassment which are linked to the dismissal
• The making or defending  of additional claims or preliminary applications
• Automatically unfair dismissal claims (e.g. whistleblowing)

• Initial consultation with Employee who believes they might have a claim
• Supporting Employee/Employer through the pre-claim conciliation process
• Drafting and filing the response form (ET3) for when a claim has been made against the Employer.
  OR
  Draft the claim form (ET1) on behalf of the Employee.
• Merits Assessment – Reviewing relevant documents, drafting case assessment summary and advising on quantum
• Disclosure – Dealing with disclosure / preparation of list of documents and considering documents disclosed by Claimant
• Trial Bundle (preparation of the documents required to be presented at the hearing)
• Witness Statements – gathering statements and interviewing witnesses to build a case
• Preparing for and attending Preliminary Hearing (via telephone)
• Final Hearing preparation*
• Settlement discussions
• Case management

The above price estimates are based on the following assumptions:

• You will provide us with all of the necessary information and documents, and respond when needed, in a timely manner
• You provide us with adequate instructions and information to allow us to prepare the ET3 form at least 10 working days before the Tribunal deadline (if you are an employer)
• Both parties acts reasonably throughout the process without excessive levels of communication
• We don’t attend a Tribunal hearing
• There aren’t any protracted settlement negotiations
• We are not required to make or defend numerous or substantial applications to the Employment Tribunal
• The work proceeds without any unforeseen or unusual complications

If these factors change, there may be additional charges. As your case progresses, we will update you as to whether any additional charges seem likely.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, travel expenses, or photocopying/printing costs. These are not included in the fees estimate above. We would normally handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process but will discuss this at the time they arise depending on the terms of the third party provider and other factors.

Also not included are the fees for a barrister, who may be used to provide an opinion on more complex issues and to represent you at the Final Hearing.

Barrister fees vary widely depending principally on the experience level of the barrister and the complexity of the claim. The typical fees for a junior barrister will range between £1,000 - £3,000(excluding VAT) for the brief fee (including preparation and the first day of the hearing) and £600 - £850 (excluding VAT) for the refresher fee (each additional day of the hearing).

We will select the barristers with the most appropriate level of experience to handle your claim and will obtain fee quotes for your approval prior to instruction.

If you have insurance, do check in with your insurance companies as some insurance companies require you to use specific law firms or gain their consent to using a firm not on their list of panel solicitors. We advise that you contact your insurer at the earliest opportunity and before we begin work.

The scope of costs that an insurer is willing to cover and terms for that cover depends on the policy you have in place. We would be happy to discuss with you the basis upon which any additional costs may or may not be incurred above any amount being provided for by the insurer.

The time it takes from your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which the case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during the ACAS pre-claim conciliation stage, your case could take just 2-6 weeks. However, if the claim proceeds to a Final Hearing it could take between 6-12 months (with more complex matters taking up to 2 years).

It’s hard to predict accurate timescales until we have your information and much depends on the level of claims being handled by the particular Employment Tribunal at the time, but you’ll be kept informed throughout the entire process.