Employment Tribunals

The benefits of using our employment lawyers

Many reasons are used by employers for dismissing employees including performance, sickness, absence and gross misconduct. If you feel you have been treated unfairly, getting legal advice as quickly as possible is essential, as there are strict time limits for pursuing unfair dismissal claims. 

How we can help you

• Advise whether you have a case for claiming wrongful and / or unfair dismissal
• Explain your options
• Advise on whether the best course of action is the employment tribunal (tribunal)
• Support you through pursuing your claim
• Ensure you are fully prepared for the employment tribunal
• Negotiate the best financial outcome
• Achieve a quick resolution.

Why choose Thomson Snell & Passmore?

• We provide excellent levels of client service and understanding at this stressful time
• We are 100% successful in securing the best outcome at tribunal or a sensible commercial settlement 
• We offer highly competitive legal services with fixed fees and no hidden extras
• We make it easy for you to contact us, you will have a dedicated qualified lawyer, a direct dial and email address 
• We ensure that you are kept up to date with how your matter is proceeding 
• We are committed to full transparency and giving our clients meaningful choice as to the basis on which they wish to proceed
• 98% of our clients rated our service as ‘excellent’. 

Our fees

We have set out below our typical fees for bringing employment tribunal (ET) claims, on behalf of individual employees (claimants), for unfair and wrongful dismissal. These fees are based on cases that proceed to a final tribunal hearing and are based on our experience of the average time a matter takes to be dealt with and the team’s hourly rates. If your case concludes earlier the fee will be less, for example, if an out of tribunal settlement is agreed or if your employer accepts liability. 

There are typically three levels of employment claim depending on the complexity and the fee varies accordingly. See a full explanation here of how we reach the fee ranges below. We have also set out in more detail how we charge and the factors that will affect what the total fee will be for your claim.

• Simple ET claim – fees range from £7,000-£14,000 
• Medium ET claim– fees range from £14,000 – £21,500 
• Complex ET claim – fees range from £21,500 - £36,000

(all fees are exclusive of VAT charged at 20%).

Do check your household insurance, as you may find that it covers you for certain legal fees.

Contact us

If you would like to discuss the background to your claim, how we help and how much it might cost in more detail, please contact a member of the employment law team, details can be found at the bottom of the page. 

Key stages in the process

The fee ranges set out above will cover all of the work in relation to the typical stages of an employment tribunal claim which can be seen here. 

These stages are an indication only. If some of the stages are not required, the fee will be at the lower end of the scale and if there are additional stages, the fee will be at the higher end. We have set out below the factors that will usually affect the overall fee. There are also things outside of our control, such as tribunal availability and location. We would ensure that you are updated on these factors at the outset and as the case progresses. 

You may wish to handle the claim or parts of it yourself and only seek our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged based on your individual needs.

Factors affecting the overall fee

Unfortunately, it is impossible to list all the factors that could affect the overall fee, as each case varies. We have set out below the most common factors, and a more extensive list can be seen here:

• The conduct of the opponent
• The amount of correspondence and documents
• The length of ET hearing.

Disbursements 

Disbursements are costs and expenses related to your case that are payable to third parties, such as barrister’s fees. As we instruct the barrister on your behalf we handle the payment of their fees on your behalf, having first obtained money on account from you.

We will usually recommend that we instruct a barrister to represent you at the final hearing and at any preliminary hearing to determine substantive legal issues. 

Counsel fees ranging from £1,500 - £5,000 per day, depending on their level of experience and availability, we would obtain a quote.

Fees will depend on availability and level of experience and are subject to quotes from barristers. 

Travel expenses will be charged to you for attending any hearings on your behalf or with you. The amount of the expenses will depend on the location of the hearing and the number of times that travel is incurred. 

How long will my matter take?

The time from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your claim 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 two to six weeks to conclude.

If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, then typically it’s between four and nine months from when your claim was submitted to the tribunal.

The date for the final hearing is usually set at the preliminary hearing, which generally takes place up to a month after the deadline for the other party’s formal response to your claim.

Working with you

All work is supervised by the Head of Department or a senior, fully qualified member of the team who also has supervisory authority. If you instruct us, we will advise you as soon as possible who will be working on your matter and who the supervisor is. 

See below for details of the team who may work on your matter.