Employment Tribunal (Unfair / Wrongful Dismissal) Services

For wrongful dismissal, our experts at T A Matthews will guide you through the process.  From the outset of your matter a dedicated member of our team will to take you through the whole process and we will keep you informed as to the cost you incur for our professional services.  Our team have experience in most areas of the law, including employment law. 

The exact cost will vary depending on individual circumstances and the complexity of the case.  The following are examples of the various complexities. 

• 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

OUR COSTS

We aim to make the whole process as simple as possible and will always be happy to go that extra mile to make sure you have the best possible chance with your case.

We do not charge a fixed cost estimate.  Our current policy, when working on unfair/wrongful dismissal is to charge for the time we spend on the matter, according to the hourly rate applicable.  The rate may change from time to time.  However, you will be informed of any changes and the impact the change could have on our charges.  Currently our charging rate for wrongful/unfair dismissal is:

• £275.00 per hour plus VAT of £55.00

We are unable to give an exact cost.  However, based upon the experience of our team, we can give the following examples of costs:

• For a straightforward case (which is settled before Employment Tribunal proceedings are issued), our fees are typically £1,000.00 plus VAT of £200.00 to £1,500.00 plus VAT of £300.00. 
• For a case which is more complicated, which involves Employment Tribunal proceedings or a case involving a number of witnesses then typically fees are likely to be in the region of £5,000.00 plus VAT of £1000.00 to £8,000.00 plus VAT of £1600.00.  Should it be necessary for us to attend a Tribunal Hearing there would be additional charges of £1,200.00 plus VAT of £240.00 per day. 

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 and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will 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.

What is not included in the cost example above

Disbursements – These 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.

Court/Counsel’s fees estimated between £2,000.00 plus VAT of £400.00 to £4,000.00 plus VAT of £800.00 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

HOW LONG WILL THE MATTER TAKE?

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 6-8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 26-52 weeks. 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.