Employer / Respondent Price Information For Employment Tribunal Claims

Why choose Myerson

Our team at Myerson has a breadth of experience to provide you with the expert legal support and quality of service you are looking for.

As part of our core values, we provide you with clear and transparent cost information from the outset. 

Working in partnership with you on your requirements, matters are assigned to the most appropriate level of fee earner (always subject to partner supervision) to support you throughout your matter and ensure absolute cost effectiveness and efficiency. 

We set out below a summary of our charges which, when combined with our high quality service, represents excellent value.

We would be happy to discuss our fees with you further, contact us here.  

What's involved and how much will it cost?

Stages of the claim process	Timescale guidance	* Range of costs (estimate)
After receiving notice of intended claim, conducting Early Conciliation with ACAS to explore whether settlement can be reached	4 weeks	£750 - £1500
(Preparing terms of settlement if ACAS Early Conciliation succeeds)	(1 week)	(£750-£1500)
Reviewing the content of the ET1 claim form and advising on legal issues arising	2 weeks	£750-£1000
Taking instructions on contents of the defence and preparing ET3 response	4 weeks	£1000 - £2000
(Preparing for and attending any preliminary case management hearing (by telephone or at hearing centre local to us). This step is not applicable for every claim as it is dependant on orders from the tribunal)	(8 weeks)	(£750 - £1500)
Reviewing and advising on Claimant’s schedule of loss	1 week	£750
Gathering employer’s documentary evidence for disclosure and exchanging with the claimant	4 weeks	£1000 - £2500
Collating all documentation into an agreed bundle to be submitted to the tribunal (obligation to prepare multiple copies of the agreed bundles usually lies with the employer)	2 weeks	£750
Updating advice on merits following document exchange and finalising bundle	2 weeks	£500 - £1000
Witness statement interviews and drafting (in order to defend an unfair dismissal claim the employer would normally need multiple witnesses and statements preparing)	6 weeks	£2500 - £4000
Reviewing and advising on content of the witness statement(s) received from the Claimant and update on merits	2 weeks	£750 - £1000
Preparation for hearing, agreeing list of issues with the Claimant, and instructing counsel (if applicable – see below under hearing costs)	2 weeks	£750 - £1500
Total costs up to hearing		£9,500 - £18,250
All costs are subject to VAT at 20%

*Our estimated fees are for guidance only and are subject to assumptions around the amount of documentation involved and the complexity of a typical unfair dismissal claim. 

Factors that can affect these costs:

Particular factors that may affect the complexity and costs when defending an unfair dismissal claim are:

• Facing a claim that has been brought by a ‘litigant in person’ (i.e. a Claimant without legal representation)
• Whether it becomes necessary to make or defend applications made to the tribunal, such as those to amend claims, provide further information, or strike-out applications
• Making or defending a costs application
• Where an unfair dismissal claim becomes more complex because the Claimant has pursued additional allegations, for example, that the dismissal was discriminatory or relates to whistleblowing
• Where due to complexity, there is a requirement for a detailed case management approach and/or case management hearings
• The number of witnesses required to defend the claim, or the amount of documentary evidence

Hearing Costs

If the matter proceeds to a contested tribunal hearing, then the costs of our attendance will depend on the length and location of the hearing but are usually (excluding disbursements) in the region of:

• One-day hearing: £2,500 - £3,500 plus VAT (including preparation time)
• Multi-day hearings: £2,500 - £3,500 plus VAT (including preparation time) for the first day, and £1,500 - £2,500 plus VAT for each subsequent day

Alternatively, we can instruct a specialist barrister to attend and represent you at the tribunal hearing. Their fees would depend upon the seniority of the barrister, and we will discuss potential fees with you.  We are often able to negotiate competitive fees with a number of barristers’ chambers.  When a barrister is instructed our costs would be limited to our attendance at the hearing to provide ongoing instructions to the barrister and to keep a record of proceedings, which is usually at the rate of in the region of £500 plus VAT per half-day of attendance.

Hourly rates of our solicitors

The cost estimates in the table above are based on the following hourly rates of our solicitors:

Partners and Legal Directors:	Senior Associates, Associates and Solicitors:	Trainee Solicitors:	Legal Assistants:
£340 - £375	£225 - £330	£190 - £215	£140 - £195

The estimates in the table are for guidance only, and a more precise estimate will be provided on a case-by-case basis that is tailored to the specific claim.

All rates are subject to VAT at 20%.

Other Employment Claims

We can also assist with the defence of any other type of Employment claim, in addition to unfair dismissal claims, including claims relating to discrimination, whistleblowing, redundancy and defective consultation, and claims involving trade unions or elected representatives.  We will always discuss costs with you for each stage of any claim.

In particular, we offer:

• City centre standards of advice and service levels due to our policy of recruiting only the best specialist employment solicitors from leading firms.
• Our employment law solicitors are dedicated to advising on how to achieve your business objectives in the most efficient and practical way. We pride ourselves on providing straightforward and bespoke advice tailored to your business requirements and resources.
• As expert employment lawyers, we understand that employers need to be commercial, decisive and act calmly but quickly when sensitive employment disputes arise.
• Our employment solicitors understand you want speedy and satisfactory resolution to avoid protracted and damaging conflict.
• Your work will be carried out by a qualified employment law solicitor, who knows your business requirements best. Our work is also carried out at the appropriate level, depending on the complexity, sensitivity, and importance of the employment issue. 
• We work closely with our clients to ensure that we meet their expectations both in terms of their objectives and in relation to costs. Our employment solicitors know that clarity on costs is vitally important to our clients, especially at a time when businesses are challenged by sudden and dramatic changes to economic circumstances.
• Extensive experience of dealing with a wide range of employers and employment disputes, giving you fast, helpful advice, based on knowledge of your business, its history, and pressures.
• A partner-led service and a genuinely accessible team of experienced employment law solicitors due to our size, structure, and unique culture.