As part of our practice on advising on employment law, our team has a great deal of experience in helping clients bring and defend claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal including claims involving high levels of complexity and those of high financial value.
The vast majority of our cases settle and the information set out below is particularly relevant to the small minority that do not. However cases may settle at any time, even where litigation has been ongoing for some time and preparation is well advanced.
Our team comprises four partners and twelve other lawyers who are assisted by a small number of trainee solicitors and paralegals.
All matters will be managed by one of the partners or special counsel who will work with other members of our team with the appropriate level of experience. Click on an individual’s name to view their profile.
Elaine Aarons (qualified as a solicitor in 1982)
Meriel Schindler (qualified as a solicitor in 1991)
Claire Christy (qualified as a solicitor in 1998)
Hugh More (qualified as a solicitor in 2007)
Christina Morton – Senior Knowledge Lawyer (qualified as a solicitor in 1987)
Emma Sanderson – Consultant (qualified as a solicitor in 1997)
Melissa Paz – Special Counsel (qualified as a solicitor in 2000)
Lisa Lewinsohn – Consultant (qualified as a solicitor in 2006)
Libby Payne – Partner (qualified as a solicitor in 2009)
Katie Williams – Senior Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2010)
Philip Lindan – Senior Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2011)
Alexandra Thompson – Senior Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2014)
James Hockin – Senior Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2015)
Caroline Mathews – Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2016)
Ellie Hughes – Associate (qualified as a solicitor in 2019)
Eleanor Ashby - Associate (qualified as a solicitor 2021)
Kate Heywood - Associate (qualified as a solicitor 2022)
Jamie Brown - Associate (qualified as a solicitor 2022)
Trainee solicitors spend six months working with the team. Their overall experience of legal practice will depend on what stage of their two-year training period they have reached and any prior experience gained before they started their training contract. The experience of paralegals will be similar to trainees and also depend on any prior experience gained before joining the firm.
The fees set out below cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
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 according to your individual needs.
Our legal fees are calculated by reference, amongst other matters, to the total time spent on a case and the hourly rates of the members of the team who deal with it.
Team member's seniority & Hourly rate as of 1 July 2019:
Please note that these rates do not include VAT. Please also note that our hourly rates may be varied on 1 July each year. VAT is applied at the rate of 20% on our fees and, where applicable, disbursements.
The amount of work involved in each case will depend on its specific circumstances so we are not able to provide a precise estimate of the overall costs of bringing or defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal on this page. We will provide an estimate of the likely overall costs to all clients once we have sufficient further information about the specific circumstances of their case. But as a general guide, the overall costs of bringing or defending a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal (including the fees of barristers and others such as experts) are as follows:
This assumes (by way of example):
This assumes:
This assumes:
Please note that the overall costs of each type of case may end up being higher or lower than the range of figures given above. The overall costs involved will depend on a number of factors such as:
Other factors that could make a case more complex include by way of example:
In additional to our legal fees, other costs related to your matter which are payable to third parties may also be incurred, such as court fees. We handle the payment of these expenses on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. At present there are no fees for bringing employment tribunal claims but government policy on this may change.
In some cases it may be necessary to use the services of an expert witness, for example to provide medical evidence. The costs of instructing the expert are an example of an expense that you would have to meet in addition to our legal fees. An expert’s costs will vary according to the complexity of the report they are asked to prepare and how involved they become in the case:
Barristers’ fees will be treated in the same way. We will negotiate the fees of the barrister for you once it has been decided that a barrister needs to be involved in the case. Barristers’ fees depend on the complexity of the task given to them and their experience and expertise. Barristers will charge VAT in addition to the quoted fee. By way of example:
The factors that will influence the cost of a barrister include factors such as:
The length of time required to resolve an employment claim depends on many factors and we will of course keep you informed throughout the preparation of a case about how long the matter is likely to take to reach a conclusion.
The most important factor is whether the case is settled and at what stage that occurs. Settlement discussions can take place at any time, even at the start of or during the final hearing of a case. Many cases settle just before the expiry of the time limit for presenting a claim to the tribunal, so that the parties avoid the cost of preparing the documents needed for presenting and defending a case.
In employment tribunal claims the initial settlement window, before the time limit for issuing proceedings expires, is usually three months from the date of the dismissal or other act that forms the basis of the claim, plus approximately a month for ACAS early conciliation.
If a case does not settle within this initial period and a claim is issued, the time it will take for the case to come to a full hearing will depend on many of the same factors that affect the overall costs of taking a case to a hearing. As a broad rule of thumb the more complex the case the long it will take to hear and the longer it will be necessary to wait for a hearing date.
So, by way of example a case that only needs one day to be heard will normally take place between six to nine months after the claim is issued. This is likely to rise to 12 months or more for multi day cases.
In more complex cases there is usually a case management hearing at relatively early stage. At this preliminary hearing an agreement is reached with the assistance of a judge about how long the final hearing will need to be. A procedural timetable to prepare for the final hearing will be also fixed.
The time it takes for a case to reach a final hearing will also vary from region to region in the UK. As a general rule, cases that need to be heard in London may take longer to reach a final hearing than cases which can be heard outside London.
Employment cases involving disputes, discrimination or high-profile departures can be extremely stressful. We act for employers and senior executives to resolve matters quickly and fairly.
EmploymentFees for bringing and defending claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal in the employment tribunal
Employment contractsWith experience across a range of sectors, our lawyers will make sure your employment contract puts you in a strong position – whether in regard to benefits or post-termination restrictions.
In-house HR teams deal with a myriad of employment matters. From rethinking employee handbooks to handling redundancies, our lawyers can help guide you through the full spectrum of issues, sensitively and effectively.
Mergers and restructuresChanges in ownership require careful handling. Our experience in some of the world’s highest-profile acquisitions, buyouts and earn-outs means we are well placed to help you to navigate through.
NegotiationOur lawyers deserve their reputation for negotiating boldly on behalf of senior executives and employers. From incentives to exit packages, our aim is to leave you in the best possible position.
Being part of a partnership brings exciting opportunities, but it is not always straightforward. An LLP ourselves, we can advise you at every stage: from joining negotiations to exits.
Professional liabilityWe pursue and defend claims against a wide range of professionals around the world, and will draw on this experience to represent your interests, whatever the matter at hand.
Shareholder disputesWith a wealth of experience advising on shareholder rights and remedies, we are adept at handling key exits and can help you manage the process as smoothly as possible, even in acrimonious cases.
Our website will give you a flavour of the advice we provide - if you would like to talk to us for more information, please contact our client services team who will be happy to assist.
