Huge hike in compensation payments for hurt and upset employees
With effect from the 11 September 2017 there will be a very significant rise in compensation awards for injury to feelings or psychiatric injury in discrimination cases.
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.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
