Our English Fees

We offer a fixed fee initial consultation in all employment matters in order for us to assess and agree the overall work involved. This is agreed in advance and is typically for an hours’ worth of time. The day-to-day running of your employment matter will be conducted by Steven Eckett.

• Advice only: £750 to £5,000 plus VAT depending on time spent on the matter, the number of documents to review and the complexity of your issue.
• Negotiating a settlement: £3,000 to £15,000 plus VAT.
• Preparing for an Employment Tribunal: £10,000 – £15,000 plus VAT for a short simple claim and up to £50,000 or more plus VAT for longer more complex claims.

Below is a breakdown of the costs involved in the provision of advice and representation to employers in relation to defending claims before the Employment Tribunal brought by an employee, for example for unfair dismissal and/or discrimination.

The below is an example and is intended as a guide only and the actual costs of your claim can vary and will depend on the time spent on the matter and its complexity.

• Initial advice – ranges from a free consultation to up to £1000 plus VAT (at 20%) depending on the complexity of the matter.
• If the employer instructs us to defend an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal claim, then the first stage would be to draft the Employment Tribunal response form and Grounds of Resistance. Typically, this can take six hours’ worth of work, at an estimated cost ranging from £1,500 to £3,000 plus VAT (at 20%). It may be more if the claim is complex and lengthy and there are a lot of documents to review and if meetings are required.
• Attending a Preliminary Hearing is usually part of the process which can involve agreeing the list of issues, drafting an agenda form and attending the hearing. Typically, this can take up to six hours’ worth of work including the attendance at the hearing, at an estimated cost up to £3,000 plus VAT (at 20%), plus additional travel time if it is an in-person hearing and depending on the location of the Employment Tribunal. and if the hearing is in person.
• Disclosure involving the drafting of a list of documents and exchanging that documentation with the other side and reviewing their documentation and evidence. It depends on how complex the matter is, but this can typically take around 10 hours’ worth of work, at an estimated cost ranging from £2,500 to £5,000 plus VAT (at 20%).
• One of the largest parts of the employment tribunal litigation process is the drafting and exchange of witness statements. Again, the costs are dependent on the time involved and the complexity of the matter. Typically, it can take up to 12 hours’ worth of work or more to exhaust this part of the process at an estimated cost ranging from £3,000 up to £6,000 plus VAT (at 20%). Costs may be more if the witness statements are lengthy or if there are a lot of witnesses.
• If the matter is sufficiently complex or time consuming, then it is customary to instruct a barrister to undertake the advocacy at the full merits hearing at the employment tribunal. This will involve drafting the Instructions to Counsel, attending a conference with Counsel, and obtaining a cost estimate of Counsel’s fees. The costs will depend on a number of factors including the length of the hearing, the experience and charge out rate of Counsel, and the complexity of the matter. Typically for a relatively straight-forward three-day hearing costs would be between £7,000 to £15,000 plus VAT (at 20%).
• Mediation including Judicial Mediation might be a possibility at any stage of the process and the costs will depend on the length of any mediation which could be for example for a whole day of 8 hours at an estimated cost of £4,000 – £6,000 plus VAT (at 20%)

Below is a breakdown of the costs involved in the provision of advice and representation to employees in relation to the bringing of claims before the Employment Tribunal against an Employer for example for unfair dismissal and/or discrimination.

The below is an example and is intended as a guide only and the actual costs of your claim can vary.

• Initial advice – ranges from a free consultation to up to £1,000 plus VAT (at 20%) depending on the complexity of the matter.
• If the employee has an unfair dismissal and/or discrimination claim that they would like to pursue then the first stage would be to issue the ACAS Early Conciliation application followed by drafting the Employment Tribunal form and the details of claim. Typically, this can take between two- and six-hours’ worth of work at an estimated cost ranging from £1,000 to £4,000 plus VAT (at 20%)
• If a schedule of loss is required, then this can typically take between 3 and 4 hours’ worth of work at an estimated cost ranging from £1,000 to £2,000 plus VAT (at 20%).
• Attending a Preliminary Hearing is usually part of the process which can involve agreeing the list of issues, drafting an agenda and attending the hearing. Typically, this can take up to 6 hours’ worth of work including the attendance at the hearing at an estimated cost of up to £3,000 plus VAT (at 20%). There may be additional travel time depending on the location of the Employment Tribunal and if the hearing is in person.
• Disclosure involving the drafting of a list of documents and exchanging that documentation and reviewing the other side’s evidence. It depends on how complex the matter is but can typically take from six to eight hours’ worth of work at an estimated cost ranging from £2,500 to £5,000 plus VAT (at 20%).
• One of the largest parts of the employment tribunal litigation process is the drafting and exchange of witness statements. Again, the costs are dependent on the time involved and the complexity of the matter. Typically, it can take up to 15 hours’ worth of work to exhaust this part of the process, at an estimated cost of between £3,000 – £6,000 plus VAT (at 20%). Costs may be more if the witness statements are lengthy or if there are a lot of witnesses.
• If the matter is sufficiently complex or time consuming, then it is customary to instruct a barrister to undertake the advocacy at the full merits hearing at the employment tribunal. This will involve drafting the Instructions to Counsel, attending a conference with Counsel, and obtaining a cost estimate of Counsel’s fees. The costs will depend on a number of factors including the length of the hearing, the experience and charge out rate of Counsel, and the complexity of the matter. Typically for a relatively straight-forward three-day hearing, estimated costs would be from £7,000 to £15,000 plus VAT (at 20%).
• Mediation or Judicial Mediation might be a possibility at any stage of the process and the costs will depend on the length of any mediation which could be for example for a whole day of 8 hours at an estimated cost of £4,000 – £6,000 plus VAT (at 20%).

We may need to make payments on your behalf, known as disbursements. These are payable to third parties to cover payments such as counsel’s fees, expert’s fees, medical fees, travel expenses and court fees. Counsel’s fees will vary according to experience and the complexity of your matter. We will obtain an estimate from counsel for your approval before incurring this expense on your behalf.

It is also customary for us to seek an initial payment on account at the beginning of any retainer to cover any initial work that is required. It is also our practice to update cost estimates on a regular basis and to request regular payments on account as the matter progresses.

Gilson Gray (England) Limited is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (“SRA”). Its SRA number is 620418.