Employment Law
We can advise on all areas of employment law, including contracts of employment, restrictive covenants, employment tribunal claims, managing sick leave, maternity and paternity rights, business reorganisation & TUPE transfers, dismissal and redundancy, policies, procedures and staff handbooks, directors’ duties, and equal opportunities
There are no two identical claims and as such, all claims will have a different final cost, but you can be guided by our pricing or fees guide. However, we aim to satisfactorily resolve a case in the client’s interest at a minimal cost.
As you would expect, a small number of our cases end at the employment Tribunal, but most end with a settlement for our clients, even though this may mean starting the claim, because most employers do not take potential employment dispute seriously until their employees instruct a firm of solicitors. If our clients’ instructions come from too weak a point or not worth the legal fees to pursue, some employment cases can end without the desired outcome and may decline taking instructions. Following the correct procedure is of prime importance in employment matters to both parties, and as such, we will always seek to advise on the issues of cost and potentials of your claim at the outset of your instructions
As required by our Regulator (the Solicitors Regulation Authority or “SRA”), we set out the following “pricing guide” for standard employment claim fees and also an estimated range of costs for defending a case from the start right to a tribunal judgment, but please note these are only our fees and does not include tribunal fees, expert’s fees or other disbursements)
The Solicitors Accounts Rules define disbursement as any sum a solicitor spends or is going to spend on behalf of the client or trust, including any VAT for which the firm is liable. Simply explained, disbursements are costs that are related to a client’s matter that are payable to third parties such as court/tribunal fees and counsel, etc.
We do not handle the payment of these disbursements on our client’s behalf, and as such, you would be required to pay these costs directly to the appropriate third parties to ensure the smooth running of your case.
We have 1 employment solicitor in the firm, Adetayo Ogunfuwa, who charges between £150 to £250.00 per hour. Before being rolled as a solicitor of England and Wales, he was a practising legal practitioner in a commonwealth jurisdiction. Your initial instruction is very important and as such, the cost of our initial consultation is between £150 – £250 per hour.
From the guide above, a client would be best placed to discuss likely estimates of a particular case with the instructing solicitor. Nonetheless, please be advised that some factors could influence how we categorise a case, thus making what seems a “simple” case becomes complex, which includes but is not limited to the number of witnesses, documents and needs to make or defend applications to amend to mention a few.
Sometimes, the costs of a case would normally be increased proportionately as the complexity of the case increases. Albeit, we have attempted to set out a sample table of pricing for a typical “simple” case in the guide above, but much depends on the exact dynamics of a case.
We can advise you on whatever your specific circumstances, give an honest assessment of your rights and likely chances of success if your claim goes to an Employment Tribunal or Employment Appeal Tribunal.
If we have to instruct counsel in your case, counsel’s fees can range from between £500 – £2500 per day depending on the complexity. Counsel’s fees vary depending on their experience. If it makes sense and is agreed by the client, we may instruct counsel for a preliminary hearing rather than attend ourselves.
Time Estimate
Not all cases are identical, so the complexity of a case may determine the time it takes to conclude the case. We are unable to eliminate delays caused by parties in a case. From experience, a case is likely to take 3 – 4 weeks if a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation. However, should a claim proceed to a Final Hearing, the case is likely to take 12 – 48 weeks. These are just estimates, so we will be able to give a reasonable and more accurate time frame of the time estimate of your instruction once we have more information and as the case progresses.
Paying privately
You can also pay for our services at an agreed hourly rate, which may be the most suitable way of funding your claim. It may be that your claim is of a very high value and you prefer to manage your costs based on the hours spent. On the other hand, you may have a claim that is not particularly strong but you still wish to start, because of the importance of the case to you or because you are pursuing an outcome other than compensation. We will agree and provide you with an estimate of the possible costs at the outset and update you regularly throughout the progress of the claim. Our hourly rate is from £150 – £250 per hour depending on the type of work undertaken and experience.