Our fees for Employment Law cases
We appreciate that defending or making a claim in an employment law matter is often stressful. It can also be challenging to finance legal advice. That's why we believe in being upfront and transparent about costs throughout your case, and why we make our fees readily available and easy to understand.
We will do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the likely cost of your case, both at the time that you first instruct Spencer Shaw and at appropriate intervals whilst we work for you.
Ways of paying
The options for payment depend upon the type of case and our agreement with you, but may include:
hourly rate
agreed fee
legal expenses insurance
in exceptional cases, contingency fee agreement or conditional fee agreement (We may offer such an agreement in rare cases where we believe the circumstances of the case make it appropriate. This offer is at our discretion.)
Clients have rated us on ReviewSolicitors as providing Excellent value for money.
We are listed by ThreeBestRated as one of the three best Employment Law firms in Birmingham, based on an inspection which includes costs.
Hourly rates
|
|
Excluding VAT |
Including VAT |
|---|---|---|
|
Principal solicitor |
£275 |
£330 |
|
Senior Associate / Consultant Solicitor |
£255 |
£306 |
|
Associate solicitor |
£240 |
£288 |
|
Paralegal |
£125 |
£150 |
These fees are for the work done by your solicitor. There may be other costs involved in your case, which are explained in the FAQs below.
In most cases we will ask you to make payments in advance to cover any anticipated fees or disbursements (payments made on your behalf).
Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI)
If you have an employment law claim but are worried about the cost, Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI) could provide a solution. We work with insurers so that financial barriers don’t stop you from getting a fair outcome.
What is Legal Expenses Insurance?
Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI) is insurance that covers legal costs should you need to make or defend a claim. It is often provided as an add-on to insurance policies, such as home, building, car or business insurance. It can also be included in policies for free or as standard, so you may have LEI without realising it. .
Find out if you have LEI by reading any insurance policies you have. If you have LEI, your insurer should cover your legal costs if they believe you have a reasonable chance of winning.
How we work with LEI clients
You will need to confirm your LEI cover before we are able to begin work. If you aren’t sure how to go about this, we can help you.
Even though your insurer is paying your costs, you are our client. We act in your best interests and have the same responsibility and commitment to all clients whether LEI or privately funded. Our priority is to help you resolve your dispute fairly and in your best interests, so that you can move on in your career.
Throughout your case, we may have to speak to your insurer concerning the budget for work overall. This can sometimes slow the process down slightly, but we are experienced in working with LEI and will factor this additional time into our plans.
How much does an employment tribunal claim cost?
The cost of your case will depend on several factors, such as the complexity of the case, the amount of evidence involved and the legal issues relating to the case.
Each case has its own facts, legal issues and evidence. Many cases don’t go through the full process and are either settled or withdrawn before the case reaches the final hearing. If that happens, the cost of the case will be less than the guideline estimates below.
A simple unfair dismissal case would likely cost around £5,000-£6,000 to go through the full tribunal process. More complex cases are likely to be in the range of £8,000-£10,000, particularly if the final hearing lasts more than one day. Complicated cases involving substantial amounts of evidence or complex legal arguments are likely to exceed £10,000. These estimates include VAT.
Wrongful dismissal cases tend to be simpler and require less time to complete. These will likely cost around £3,500 including VAT.
At your initial consultation your solicitor will provide you with a guide to the likely time and cost involved in your case and update this throughout our relationship. If anything happens that we feel is likely to impact on your costs, we will let you know.
Your solicitor's priority is to resolve the issue in your best interests. This includes helping you to balance the likely cost of your case against the chances of winning, the possible compensation, and the benefits of early settlement.
If a claim reaches a final hearing, it will go through several key stages:
Preparation and issue of a claim at an Employment Tribunal.
Receipt and analysis of the response to the claim.
Compliance with directions made by the Tribunal - Directions are instructions from the Judge for the proper management of the claim. They include exchange of relevant documents and preparation of an agreed bundle of documents which will be used by the parties and by the Judge at the final hearing. Preparation and exchange of witness statements setting out the evidence that witnesses will give at the final hearing. Setting a date for the final hearing. Setting a timetable for the final hearing.
Preliminary Hearing - Depending on the nature of the case, the Tribunal will sometimes set a case management conference to define the issues in the case and to give directions. This is known as a Preliminary Hearing and may take place at the Tribunal or by telephone. Other Preliminary Hearings may be held to determine a specific issue in a case, such as whether there is in fact a case to answer, whether part of a claim or response should be struck out or whether a claim is out of time.
The final hearing - This is like a trial. It is where the evidence is heard and legal arguments are made. A Judge will decide the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I entitled to free advice?
If you are a member of a union, you may be entitled to free legal advice. We will advise you if we think that this applies to you.
Legal aid is not available for employment law matters. We are only able to act for clients who can pay for advice or have legal expenses insurance. We do not currently take on pro bono work (work done voluntarily and without charge).
How long will my case take to resolve?
The time that a claim will take to complete from the preliminary stages through to final hearing depends on several factors, such as the complexity of the case is the state of the tribunal’s diary. A final hearing is fixed by the tribunal either after the claim has been issued or at a Preliminary Hearing.
In our experience it is likely to be 6 to 10 months before a claim is concluded at a final hearing in simple cases and 12 to 18 months in more complicated cases.
What happens to money on account?
Advance payments are deposited into our Client Account and are governed by rules set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Accounts Rules. We will pay interest on the average balance that was held for you providing the interest accrued amounts to £20 or more. Interest is calculated at the rate available on an instant access savings account from Barclays Bank.
We are required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to deposit monies in instant access accounts only. This means that the interest rate paid on money in our Client Account may not be as high as you can achieve by placing the money in a savings account yourself.
Are there any other costs?
The cost of legal advice and representation often includes more than a charge for work done by a solicitor. Apart from our work there may be costs payable to third parties (often called disbursements) when preparing a client’s case. For example:
In a claim to an employment tribunal we may recommend the use of an expert witness;
During a claim in the civil courts (County Court or High Court), court fees almost always have to be paid to the court at various stages of the case;
We may recommend the use of a barrister to help with your case; to prepare a claim or defence, to give a legal opinion or to appear as your advocate at a hearing. The charge that a barrister will make depends upon several factors such as their level of expertise and the time which she or he will be involved on the claim. As a guide, the charge that a barrister may make for appearing on a client’s behalf at a hearing will be between £1,200 and £3,600 including VAT for a day’s advocacy.
Which disbursements are involved in your case will depend upon the type of matter and the facts of your case. We will advise you of the likely amount and nature of fees and expenses that you may incur whilst we work for you and we will update that information as your case progresses. If you would like more information about costs, please don’t hesitate to ask.
I'm worried that the costs will spiral out of control. Can you help?
We appreciate that many people have concerns around the cost of legal advice. We provide clear and transparent information on fees and other costs. We will provide an estimate of the likely cost of your matter, and update this throughout our relationship. If anything happens that we feel is likely to impact on your costs, we will let you know.
We also provide information to help you understand how we calculate your bill, and tips on how you can work with your solicitor to make the most of your budget. Click here to read our Guide to keeping control of your legal fees.
Definitely recommend
Very competent, knowledgeable and friendly. They were very thorough in their evaluation of my redundancy notice and certainly put my mind at ease by explaining in simple terms what the most important clauses meant. Definitely recommend them.
Ian
Get in touch
Do you have a legal matter you'd like to discuss with us? Get in touch using the details below or use the form here and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your enquiry.
Address: Spencer Shaw Solicitors Limited
St Mary's House, 68 Harborne Park Road,
Harborne, Birmingham, B17 0DH
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays - Closed
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