What we do

Our employment and pensions group combines the highest quality of technical advice, a deep investment in personal relationships and an effective use of technology.

We provide clients with solutions that balance their legal and commercial requirements, are delivered efficiently and offer real value. We are adaptive to client requirements and tailor our response to achieve the right outcome.

We also offer a short term employment solutions service, run through the DAC Beachcroft People Pool.

What we are known for

We also deal with discrimination, transfer of undertakings and detriment claims in employment tribunals, acting for our corporate clients.

Detailed elements of our services

Across the spectrum of work our purpose-built case-management system ensures a consistency of advice wherever we're working. Recognised experts lead a variety of specialist teams in discrimination and diversity, trade union relations, TUPE and transactional support, business immigration, equal pay and pensions. We advise on partnership and LLP issues.

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Employment

In accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Transparency Rules, we set out below information about our costs for conducting cases in the Employment Tribunal where a claimant alleges that they have been either wrongfully or unfairly dismissed. We act for our employer clients in defending such claims.

Our fees

We always assess the likely costs of each Employment Tribunal matter on a case by case basis and the total cost associated with any matter will depend upon a number of factors. Our fees are usually based on hourly rates. However, we may also operate alternative charging structures including capped and fixed rates. Please contact us for further information or a more detailed estimate relating to the particular employment matter.

For illustration, for a simple matter, our costs could be in the range of £10,000 - £20,000 (excluding VAT). For more complex cases, our costs could be upwards of £35,000 (excluding VAT).

The total cost of the service is dependent on a number of variables, such as: the complexity of allegations and value of case; the number of claimants involved and whether they are legally represented; the number of respondents involved and whether they are represented; the number of witnesses; the volume of documentation; and potential reputational impact of the claim on the employer. Costs for the final hearing in a case will depend on how many days it is heard over and whether those days are consecutive, as well as who attends from our team.

Likely disbursements

Disbursements for this type of claim would typically be photocopying and fees paid to counsel for advocacy at hearings. Counsel fees are subject to negotiation with the relevant chambers and will vary according to the seniority and experience of the barrister. The fees charged by counsel would be agreed with a client before they were incurred. All fees and disbursements will attract VAT at 20%.

Experience and qualifications of those carrying out the work

We have over 100 employment lawyers, paralegals, trainees and apprentices in our teams across our national network. The wide range of qualifications and experience within our Employment team means we can ensure the appropriate level of legal personnel handle each stage of the claim.

The experience and qualifications of those carrying out the work on any particular matter will depend on factors such as the complexity and value of the matter and whether any specialist knowledge is required. All work is appropriately supervised in accordance with the SRA Standards & Regulations. Each client will be advised at the start of a matter of the name of the lawyer with day to day conduct of the matter, and their supervisor.

You can find details of our employment team here.

Key stages

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

• Taking initial instructions, reviewing the papers (including the claimant’s schedule of loss) and advising on merits, weaknesses and potential compensation.
• Preparing and filing a response.
• Collating and considering relevant documents, exchanging documents with the claimant, and preparing a bundle of documents.
• Assisting witnesses with the drafting of their witness statements, exchanging witness statements and considering and advising on the content of the claimant’s statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues, and preparing a chronology and/ or cast list.
• Preparation for the final hearing, including instructing counsel presenting and advising on outcome.
• Where appropriate, exploring and negotiating settlement throughout the process.

The fees and disbursements exclude the following, which are not relevant to all cases but are present in some:

• Preparing for and attending a (directions) preliminary hearing to determine the issues in the case and the timetable for its future conduct.
• Preparing for and attending a separate remedy hearing.
• Submitting or opposing any appeal.

How long could the matter take?

The timescale from taking initial instructions to concluding the matter will depend largely on the stage at which the case is resolved as well as the amount of documentary evidence; availability of witnesses and tribunal listing times. If the claim proceeds to a final hearing, it could take between 6-18 months for resolution of the matter but typically around 12 months. We provide clients with more accurate timescales when we have the initial instructions and as the matter progresses.