Our fees for employment cases

As a charity, we charge affordable rates.

We are a registered charity and not for profit organisation and as such our fees are generally lower than the fees you would pay elsewhere.  Our hourly rate is £150 per hour + VAT (ie £175.00 including VAT).

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal – as we do not represent employers

The following are estimates of how much a case of each type may cost. For a more detailed estimate in relation to your case, please contact us directly:

Simple case: £5,000 - £7,000 (excluding VAT).

Medium complexity case: £7,000 - £10,000 (excluding VAT).

High complexity case: £10,000 - £15,000 (excluding VAT).

Factors that could make a case more complex:

  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
  • Making or defending a costs application.
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties) or if there is uncertainty about employment status.
  • 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.

Fixed Fees

We also offer fixed fees for specific pieces of work.

Initial fixed fee appointment

We charge £210.00 inc VAT for an initial 1 hour appointment. During this meeting we will discuss your case, assess the merits of any claims you may have, and provide advice. We will review up to 20 pages of documents, and provide a written follow up letter detailing our advice and next steps.

After this appointment we offer a range of other Fixed Fee work:

Grievances & Disciplinary Issues
  • Drafting a grievance letter - £240 - inc VAT
  • Drafting a disciplinary response - £300 inc VAT
  • Appeal letter (grievance or disciplinary) - £390 inc VAT
  • Further advice on Grievance or Disciplinary - £210.00 inc VAT
ACAS Early Conciliation
  • Starting ACAS Early Conciliation - £180 inc VAT
  • Full ACAS Early Conciliation service - £600 inc VAT
  • Review of COT3 agreement - £240 inc VAT
Redundancy & Unfair Dismissal
  • Review of redundancy process and package- £600 inc VAT
  • Review of dismissal process - £600 inc VAT
  • Advice on exit discussions / “without prejudice” conversations - £264 inc VAT
  • Negotiate exit - £600 inc VAT
  • Further advice on Redundancy & Unfair Dismissal - £210.00 inc VAT
  • Further Advice on Early Conciliation - £210.00 in VAT
Employment Tribunal Support
  • Drafting your ET1 claim (form and Particulars of Claim) - £720 inc VAT
  • Reviewing employer response & advising - £450 in VAT
  • Preliminary Hearing (usually 90 mins long include drafting Agenda and List of Issues) - £1,800 inc VAT
  • Case Management (Disclosure, Witness Statement, Sch of Loss and Bundle) - £2400 inc VAT
  • Further advice on Employment Tribunal - £210.00 inc VAT

Disbursements

The above fixed fees do not include disbursement which will be charged at the their cost (including any VAT).

Disbursement are costs relating to your matter that are payable to third parties – such as expert reports, barrister fees and travel costs.

To ask a Barrister for an initial opinion on the merits of a claim could cost £300 - £800 (excluding VAT), depending on the experience of the advocate and the complexity of the case.  For instance, it will cost more if there are a lot of documents to read.

If a Barrister represents you at a Tribunal Hearing, their fees are estimated at between £600 and £2000 (excluding VAT) per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

Other ways to Pay

Damages-based agreement

Very occasionally we may be able to offer a damages-based agreement.  As the name suggests, this is where you agree to pay us a percentage of any sum paid to you as a result of settling or winning your case.  The amount paid to us will be 25% plus VAT (30% including VAT), plus any disbursements incurred during your case.

Legal Expenses Insurance

If you have legal expenses insurance, you may be able to nominate us as your legal representatives and we will be paid directly by your insurance company for any work carried out.  Please contact us for further information if you wish to consider using this route.

How long will my 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 3-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 9-12 months. 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.

Who will work on my case?

We currently have 1 solicitor and 1 trainee solicitor in the Employment and Discrimination Unit.

Gary Steel is a Solicitor and Area of Law Supervisor.  He has experience of advising in Employment and Discrimination law and representing clients at the Employment Tribunal.  Fozia Sultana is a Second-Year trainee and will qualify in January 2027.

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