• Default Judgment – typically our costs will be in the region of between £2,500 - £3,500 plus VAT (straightforward facts and legal complexity, including where you successfully bring or defend your case without going to a final hearing)
• Unfair Dismissal – typically costs in the range of £12,500 - £35,000 plus VAT (straightforward facts and legal complexity with full one day hearing, but still very much depending on the facts and numbers of witnesses and extent to which the factual matrix and legal arguments are contested and on what basis – see also factors that influence costs below)
• Constructive Unfair Dismissal – typically costs in the region of between £18,000 - £40,000 plus VAT (medium complexity)
• Unfair Dismissal  (high complexity – for instance involving allegations of unfair dismissal plus discrimination and/or whistle-blowing) -  up to £60,000 + VAT (high complexity including whistleblowing/public interest disclosure or discrimination)
• Wrongful dismissal - This will usually only be pursued in conjunction with one of the above with the above cost estimates applicable.  If the value of the claim for wrongful dismissal exceeds the cap in the Tribunal, we may advise pursuing through the civil courts and where our costs could be an additional sum between £15,000 - £100,000 plus VAT depending on the values and complexity of issues arising.

Range 

• Complexity of facts and extent to which this is disputed 

• Volume and nature of documentation involved and whether there are any issues on what documents the parties have or haven’t disclosed to each other  

• Whether or not the Tribunal lists the matter for a pre-hearing (this is a hearing before the main trial, typically when the Judge decides what legal issues there are and makes directions about what happens next)  

• Numbers of witnesses

• Number of parties involved 

• Numbers of days’ hearing the matter is scheduled for 

• Legal issues arising on if a Claimant is eligible to bring a claim and/or other procedural issues 

• How much the case is worth and legal complexity of the complaint(s) 

Key Stages and typical costs for a relatively straightforward matter (in each case plus VAT)

• Prior to claim being sent to the Employment Tribunal (including involving ACAS Early Conciliation) between the range of £750 - £3,500 
• Submitting claim(s) (ET1) to the Employment Tribunal in the region of £1,500 - £5,000 
• Drafting a defence to a claim (ET3 response) in the region of £1500 - £5000 
• Preliminary Hearing-estimated range of £1,000 - £5,000 
• Schedule of Loss £750-1500
• Exchanging relevant documents in the case (disclosure) £1500 - £5,000
• Trial Bundle of documents for the Judge to see – £750 - £3,500 (Respondent) 
• Settlement Negotiations and ACAS COT3/settlement terms during proceedings - £1,500 - £5,000 
• Witness Statements £2,500 - £7,500 
• Final Hearing £1,500 to £4,000 plus disbursements (counsel’s fees to be charged in addition) plus additional costs at hourly rates for attendance at Tribunal with Counsel if required.  

Timescales

• Issue claim – 3 months less a day from date of act complained of, subject to first submitting to ACAS early conciliation 
• To preliminary hearing (if required) – up to 5 months 
• To final hearing – 6 months to 2 years. If default judgment – matters will usually take 3-6 months to conclude, though default judgments remain rare.  

Likely Disbursements

• Barrister’s fees for Preliminary Hearing - £750 - £3,500*
• Barrister’s fees for Final Hearing - £2,500 - £100,000* (first day), £650 - £3,000* (each additional day) 

*this will depend upon the call and experience of the barrister 

Services to be provided 

Our fees include: 

• Taking instructions and reviewing documentation 
• Pre-action correspondence with other side (former employer/employee) 
• ACAS Early Conciliation steps 
• Issuing ET1 Claim form or preparing an ET3 response and correspondence with Employment Tribunal 
• Negotiations with other side* (whether direct with the other side or via ACAS) 
• Obtaining default judgment* 
• Preliminary Hearing steps, including list of issues, case management agenda (setting out the directions given by the Judge to bring the case to hearing), instructing barrister (counsel)*
• Case management steps (schedule of loss, documents, trial bundle, witness statements)
• Statement of issues/case list*
• Final hearing (including deciding on compensation payable – “remedy”) 

*where appropriate/necessary  

Charging Basis 

We charge on the basis of hourly rates, which are as follows: 

• Robert Whitaker (Executive Partner) - £300 plus VAT 
• Katherine Jameson (Associate) - £275 plus VAT 
• Karen French (Paralegal) - £110 plus VAT

Summary  

Our fees set out below are based on our standard service.  We offer either a fixed fee option or an estimated fee option.  

VAT is charged at 20%.

Our Quote to you

Your quote will be based on the figures listed below for the different services we offer.  All figures listed below are an average figure for our standard service.  

A detailed quote will be given upon application tailored to your requirements.

Sale 

Scope of work in brief – standard service for a sale

• Taking initial instructions
• Drafting contracts
• Obtaining information from you about the property
• Responding to the buyer’s enquiries
• Exchanging contracts 
• Completing the sale
• Repaying the mortgage from proceeds of the sale (where relevant)
• Paying Estate agent fees from proceeds of the sale (if any)
• Sending net sale proceeds to you

Likely sale disbursements:

Sale copy title documentation: in the region of £20 (no VAT)

Bank transfer fee (for repayment of each mortgage): £ 30 (plus VAT) per transfer

For Leaseholds only:

Management company fees (where applicable): in the region of £300 (VAT status variable) but this will vary from company to company and some charge significantly more.

Purchase 

Scope of work in brief – standard service for a purchase

• Taking initial instructions
• Receiving and advising on draft contracts 
• Carrying out all searches as required
• Obtaining information from the buyer about the property
• Raising additional enquiries with the buyer 
• Reporting on title
• Reporting on mortgage offer (if any)
• Exchanging contracts
• Receiving funds to complete
• Pre-completion searches 
• Completing the purchase
• Paying Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Registering title

Likely purchase disbursements:

Local searches: in the region of £450 plus VAT

Land Registry searches: in the region of £8

Bank charges: £30 plus VAT per transfer

Land Registration fee: £20 - £1105 plus VAT

(variable according to purchase price)

SDLT admin fee: in the region of £50  plus VAT

For Leaseholds only:

Management company fees (where applicable): in the region of £300 (VAT status variable) but this will vary from agent to agent as some charge significantly more.

Stamp Duty:

Stamp duty depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website

Re-mortgage

 Scope of work – standard service for a re-mortgage

•  Taking initial instructions
•  Carrying out all searches as required
• Reporting on the title to the mortgage company
• Reporting to you on the mortgage offer
•  Sending mortgage deed for signature
• Receiving funds to complete
•  Completing the re-mortgage
•  Registering the mortgage at the Land Registry

£900 plus VAT for freehold and £1,100 for leaseholds.

Likely disbursements:

Copy title documents: in the region of £20

Local searches(if required by the lender): in the region of £450 plus VAT

Land Registry searches: in the region of £10

Land Registration fee: £20 - £1105 plus VAT (variable according to the sum being borrowed)            

Bank transfer fees: £30 plus VAT per transfer

For Leaseholds only:  

Management company fees (where applicable): in the region of £300 (VAT status variable) but this will vary from agent to agent and so charge significantly more.

Services not included above:

• Tax advice including any non-standard Stamp Duty Land Tax advice
• Negotiating prices changes
• Rectifying unusual or onerous defects in title

Your quote

Whilst we have listed our average prices for our standard service above, your quote will be based on the hourly rate charged by the fee earners working on your file.  This is calculated on a time spent basis and tailored to the advice you require.  The hourly rates we charge are:

Time scales

The typical timescale for a property sale or purchase will depend upon several factors, many of which will be outside our control. On average, this typically takes between 6 and 12 weeks from start to finish in a simple transaction.

Meet the team

No estate administration, grant of probate or letters of administration is exactly the same and, as such, our fees will reflect particular circumstances and requirements. Our fees below show a starting point in typical and simple examples.

These figures may however vary in cases with special complications. That is why we will always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction, taking into account the actual features of the work we undertake for you. We will set out in writing the estimate for our fees, VAT and disbursements and what work is covered by our fees, including assumptions and exclusions. This may be a fixed fee or calculated on the time we spend on the matter for you. We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

1. Full estate administration service includes:

• ascertaining estate assets and liabilities 
• submitting H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400 (where appropriate)
• arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
• preparing the probate application and supporting documents  
• Post receipt of Grant, realising estate assets and paying estate liabilities
• Distributing the estate in accordance with the terms of the Will/the rules of intestacy
• (*Where agreed*) we will render an Income Tax Return for the period to date of death and for the estate administration period
• Preparing estate accounts 
• all correspondence, telephone calls, attendances and documentation applicable to the above

This service does not include, if required: the sale or transfer of the deceased’s property, any Deed of Variation, any personal tax advice to beneficiaries,  advice on or work regarding the deceased’s lifetime tax affairs and advice on Trusts arising under the will.  These matters, if required, will be the subject of a separate price.    

2. Grant only service includes:

• ascertaining estate assets and liabilities 
• submitting H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400 (where appropriate)
• arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
• preparing the probate application and supporting documents
• Sending the Grant to the client to deal with the remainder of the estate administration themselves

This service does not include, if required, correspondence or negotiation with HMRC regarding the Estate. These matters, if required, will be the subject of a separate price. 

3. Limited Grant only service

(Where you provide all estate assets and liabilities information and we only prepare the application for the grant of representation)

• submitting H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400 (where appropriate)
• arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
• preparing the probate application and supporting documents  
• Sending the Grant to the client to deal with the remainder of the estate administration themselves

As indicated above, we may offer you a variety of pricing options for dealing with the matter.   On most occasions, we charge on the basis of the time incurred in working on your matter and do not charge a percentage of the estate.  Our fees will vary from case to case; however, shown below are our average fees plus vat at 20%. 

Likely disbursements

These are expenses incurred by us in undertaking the work we do for you and are charged in addition to our fees.

These typically are:

Probate fee: £273 plus £1.50 per sealed copy of the Grant

Our current range of hourly rates for our team is between £300 + VAT at 20% at the partner level to £125 + VAT at 20% at the paralegal level.

Meet the team

These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one-off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed. 

VAT is charged at 20%

These costs are fixed save where indicated with an “*”.

Where a range is provided, the fee will be based on the experience of the fee earner dealing with the matter given the complexity and value of the claim.  The hourly rates we charge are:

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

• The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor in certain circumstances.
• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost. 
• The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt. 

Our fee includes:

• Taking your instructions and reviewing the documentation
• Undertaking appropriate searches 
• Sending a letter before action 
• Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
• Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
• When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment 
• If payment is not received within 28 days, providing you with advice on the next steps and likely costs 

Matters usually take 1 to 4 months from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.

Meet the team