What is an initial employment advice consultation?

If you’re involved in a dispute with your employer it can be a very stressful and isolating time and it’s important that you know where to turn for reliable advice on the actions you can take. Our employment lawyers are experts in this area of law, providing comprehensive and practical advice for employees on a wide variety of disputes.

We offer initial employment advice for £150 (inc. VAT) to provide you with a clear understanding of your position and your legal rights. Our initial advice consultations are an opportunity for you to speak to an experienced employment lawyer in confidence. During the consultation your lawyer will be able to advise you on the following:

• if you have a claim against your employer
• a preliminary view on the likely success of your claim
• how much your claim could potentially be worth
• how much it will cost to pursue an employment claim
• how you might be able to fund a claim against your employer
• how long it might take for your claim to reach a resolution
• any time limits to bring a claim against your employer

Book your employment legal advice consultation today. Call us on 0330 041 5869 or request a call back.

What are the benefits of a consultation?

During the advice consultation, we take the time to understand the history of your situation and provide coherent advice on the options available to you, ensuring that you get the maximum benefit from the 45-minute session.

The 45-minute employment law advice consultation, provides an opportunity for you to discuss with your lawyer:

• The details of your circumstances, to get an understanding of your legal position, the process involved and the options available to you in an easily digestible format.
• The issues in your case, the application of the law and how the case could be argued.
• What action you can take against your employer by providing you with a clear roadmap of your options and next steps.
• Any time challenges that you may face in bringing a claim against your employer.
• How much it will cost to pursue an employment claim and any funding options that may be available to you.

The consultation will provide you with quick practical advice on the merits of bringing a potential claim and what the next steps and costs of pursuing a claim against your employer are.

To book your £150 (inc. VAT) employment advice consultation with one of our specialist lawyers, call us on 0330 041 5869 or request a call back.

Can I get further support with my employment case after a consultation?

With our initial £150 (inc. VAT) employment consultation, you will receive practical advice on pursing a potential claim against your employer, a clear roadmap of your options and the next steps to take as well as an outline of the costs involved, plus any funding options that may be available.

The cost of each case differs and there are several contributing factors that can affect the cost of a case, including the length of time and whether it needs to go to an employment tribunal.

Simple cases can start from £2,400, with an average case costing anywhere between £3,600-£8,400 (plus VAT). Medium complexity cases start from £3,600 with an average case cost of £8,400-£18,000 (plus VAT), whilst high complexity cases start from £8,400 with an average cost of £18,000-£36,000 (plus VAT).

As employment law is so complex and covers a range of case types, our hourly rates range from £190 to £490 (plus VAT) depending on the complexity of your case, the experience of the lawyer and your location.

What’s included?

Each case is unique and requires varying levels of support depending on your individual circumstances. We'll advise you during your initial consultation and throughout your case on what level of support is required. These are the stages that may be included, but these will vary from case to case.

• Initial instructions, reviewing the papers, advising on the merits and likely compensation
• Responding to ACAS early conciliation to explore if a settlement can be reached
• Reviewing and advising on the claim and preparing a response
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
• Reviewing the schedule of loss
• Making requests and responding to requests for additional information and documents
• Preparing for and attending a preliminary hearing
• Preparing documents for disclosure and reviewing the opponent's documents
• Exchanging documents with the other party, agreeing documents and preparing documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements, agreeing their content with witnesses and reviewing/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
• Advising throughout on strategy, strength of case and general management of the case
• Dealing with correspondence from the opponent or their representative throughout the proceedings
• Preparing documents and instructions for Counsel and conferences with Counsel

Can I do any of the work on the unfair dismissal claim?

Yes, if you wish to handle the claim yourself and only ask our advice in relation to some areas, we can advise you on how to take this cost-saving measure.

What defines the complexity of an unfair dismissal case?

A case can become more complex for several reasons including:

• Issues of loss such as loss of long-term incentives, pension or career
• Where unusual orders are required, such as anonymity orders
• Cases where a separate remedy hearing is required i.e. to work out the level of financial award to be made
• Dismissal cases that are linked to allegations of discrimination
• Automatic unfair dismissal claims e.g. whistleblowing cases
• Making or defending a cost application
• Complex preliminary issues such as whether a claim has been brought in time, whether the individual is an employee, and whether the case is sufficiently strong or should be struck out
• Making or defending applications to amend claims or provide further information about existing claims
• A long history being associated with the claim
• Numerous witnesses being called by either side
• Extensive documentation being relevant to the claim

How can I cover the cost of employment lawyer fees?

We know that legal fees can be daunting, so we keep things as simple and as affordable as possible by offering a selection of routes to fund your legal case.

Wherever possible, we offer fixed fees to provide you with the reassurance of knowing exactly how much your case will cost from the start. This fixed fee can cover initial advice regarding your case and preparing for and attending an employment tribunal hearing.

Other payment options include:

• Paying hourly: You may wish to do some of the work on your case yourself and if so, you can pay for our services hourly. Hourly rates will depend on the experience of your solicitor and your location.
• Insurance: It is quite common for home insurance policies to include an element of cover for legal fees relating to employment disputes, so it’s always best to check your policy before speaking to a solicitor.

Payments options may also differ if you’ve been referred by a union to our OMS (Organisations and Member Services) Employment, which handles the corporate needs of unions and staff associations, as well as all the employment law needs of their members.

Are there any other costs involved in an employment case?

To ensure the smooth running of your case we handle any necessary payments to third parties such as experts on your behalf. These payments are called disbursements, and we'll always keep you updated on them throughout your claim.

Barristers' fees range between £960 to £1,800 (plus VAT) per day for attending a tribunal hearing, in addition to a preparation fee for final hearing – also called a Brief Fee - which varies between £1,200 to £12,000 (plus VAT).

These fees are in addition to those set out above but will only usually be incurred if the case proceeds to an actual hearing.