Succinct, commercial advice on labour and employment law
Our labour and employment lawyers manage the legal, commercial and reputational risks associated with employment, pensions, occupational health and safety, and industrial relations issues.
Guiding you through the issues
We act as your trusted partner across the full range of human resources pre, during and post-employment issues. This includes advising on non-contentious issues such as contracts of employment, settlement agreements, confidentiality, post termination restrictions as contentious issues such as dispute resolution and litigation.
We also have significant experience advising on and managing the employment and pensions issues raised during national and multi-national transactions.
Our pensions advice includes establishing, restructuring, amending and closing schemes. It also covers pension disputes, documentation, regulation, the impact that pension schemes can have on commercial transactions and the role that they can play as tax-efficient savings vehicles.
Fees
Our fees for representing an employer or employee in relation to a claim made in the Employment Tribunal for Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal are estimated fees. These fees are based on our experience of the likely cost for a claim by one employee against one employer where the hearing is not likely to last for more than one day.
We expect our fee for:
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a simple, one issue Unfair Dismissal case to be £35000 plus a barristers fee.
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a more complex two or more issue Unfair Dismissal case (which does not involve discrimination or whistleblowing) to be £50,000-£75,000 plus a barristers fee
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a wrongful dismissal claim is likely to cost £25000 plus a barristers fee.
These fees are subject to VAT.
Discrimination claims can be very complex; we will provide an estimate at the outset of any claim.
An Unfair Dismissal claim gives rise to the possibility of compensation, in addition to notice pay, which is capped at either one year’s pay the statutory maximum of £88,519 (from 1 April 2020) if one year’s pay would be more than that sum, together with a ‘basic award’ of compensation, noting that this figure changes each year on 1 April. The basic award is calculated by reference to a week’s pay, age and length of service. There is a cap on the weekly pay taken into account for this award, currently £538 (1 April 2020).
Wrongful dismissal claims arise where an employee argues that the dismissal has breached their contract of employment and the sum claimed will usually relate only to pay due in respect of the notice period.
The compensation which can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal for a wrongful Dismissal Claim is limited to £25,000.
We will agree a scope of work with you and that will tell you if we expect the fee to be higher, based on the facts of your particular case.
Discrimination related cases are very complex and whilst the compensation an Employment Tribunal can award is uncapped, in reality the awards tend to be less than people might expect.
Further information on our fees, third party costs, taxes and the stages involved in bringing or defending an Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal claim in the Employment/tribunal can be found in Prices Information.
How long will my matter take?
An Employment Tribunal claim will typically take between four to 12 months to conclude. Some tribunals have longer waiting lists for hearings than others.
Who will deal with my matter?
The solicitors in the department are in the ‘Our team’ tab above. The solicitors in the department are all very experienced in dealing with Employment Law matters. The team spend the majority of their time dealing with Employment Law.
In each case, associate and senior associate solicitors will be supervised by one of the partners.