Employment law pricing | Winston Solicitors Skip to main content
  • Settlement Agreements (short form) where agreed £250 – £350 + VAT
  • Settlement Agreements (complex involving tax, restrictive covenant, share or other issues) £500 – £750 + VAT
  • Disciplinary proceedings (advice & guidance) including appeals £1,000 – £1,500 + VAT
  • Grievance proceedings (advice & guidance) including appeals £1,000 – £1,500 + VAT
  • Drafting Contracts of Employment/Service Agreements £500 - £750 + VAT
  • Drafting Policies including Disciplinary Procedures, Equality Act, Whistleblowing, Maternity and related Policies, working from home £300 - £400 + VAT

Our pricing for defending or bringing claims for unfair and/or wrongful dismissal varies depending upon the complexity of the case. As a general guide our fees for unfair/wrongful dismissal cases are likely to fall within the following ranges:

  • Simple case (maximum 1 day hearing) £4,000 – £5,000 + VAT
  • Medium complexity case (3 – 5 day hearing) £8,000 – £10,000 + VAT
  • High complexity case (5 day hearing) £12,500 – £15,000 + VAT

* The above is a guide only and is based initially upon a notional hourly rate for a Partner of £230 + VAT although this may vary and a bespoke cost estimate will be given to you at the outset of your case and be reviewed throughout its progress.

The fees set out above cover work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

  • Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached
  • Preparing claim or defence (known as a Response)
  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement where appropriate throughout the process
  • Preparing or considering a schedule of loss (or counter schedule)
  • Preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing
  • Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
  • Taking witness statements, drafting those statements and agreeing their content with the witnesses
  • Preparing/agreeing a bundle of documents for use in trial
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
  • Preparing/agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing or instructing a barrister to do so
  • Advising on Judgment

The stages set out above are an indication only and if some stages are not required or the claim is settled without the need to go to a Final Hearing, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle parts of the claim yourself (e.g. pre-claim conciliation) and only have our advice in relation to other stages. This can also be arranged for your individual needs.

Every claim is different and costs will vary depending upon the complexity of the individual case. Complicating factors which might increase costs include:

  • Making or defending one claim (e.g. discrimination or whistleblowing) alongside a claim for unfair dismissal
  • Making/defending applications to amend claims or defences
  • Providing Further Information about existing claims
  • Defending claims or making claims against Litigants in Person
  • Dealing with complex issues such as whether or not a person is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act in relation to a claim for disability discrimination
  • Making or defending costs applications
  • The extent of documentation
  • The number of witnesses
  • Discrimination claims are generally more complex and require further issues to be considered

We will, of course, advise you of any increase in our cost estimate should any factors arise which alter our original fee estimate.

Disbursements are costs relating to your matter that are payable to a third party, such as barrister’s fees or expert’s fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process but we will ask you to pay the cost of those disbursements to us up front before we incur them on your behalf. These costs would range from £1,000 to £5000 plus vat depending on the seniority of the barrister and length of the case . Experts’ fees would be similar and may also be charged according to an hourly rate of typically £100-250/ hour plus vat.

We will generally represent you at an Employment Tribunal hearing but on occasions where that is not possible we will instruct a barrister to represent you.

On those occasions where that is not possible we will instruct a barrister to represent you. Barrister’s fees vary according to their expertise and experience. We will recommend a barrister to you, provide you with information about that barrister and the fees they will charge before instructing them on your behalf. We will do the same if we need to instruct an expert in your case (e.g. in disability cases where the issue of disability is not agreed between the parties).

The time it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 6 – 8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing your case is likely to take 26 – 30 weeks. This is just an estimate and again depends upon the complexity of your case and when your claim can be listed for hearing by the Employment Tribunal. We will be able to give a more accurate timescale as the matter progresses.