Fees information

Question 1

Tribunal fees: unfair dismissal

Accepted Answer

Unfair Dismissal

No employment problem is exactly the same and as such, our fees will reflect the particular circumstances and requirements.

Default Judgment – typically our costs will be in the region of between £1,500 - £3,500 + 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 £5,000 - £10,000 (straightforward facts and legal complexity with full hearing)
Constructive Unfair Dismissal – typically costs in the region of between £18,000 - £25,000 (medium complexity)
Unfair Dismissal With Whistleblowing – high complexity up to £35,000 + VAT (high complexity including whistleblowing/public interest disclosure)

Range

£1,500 - £35,000 plus VAT

Factors that influence costs

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

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

The above figures may however vary in cases with special complications. That’s why we will always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction, taking into account the actual features of your employment problem.

We will set out in writing the estimate for our fees, VAT and disbursements based on your instructions and circumstances of your case and what work we will do for you, including assumptions and exclusions.

We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

Timescales

Issue claim – up to 3 months
To preliminary hearing (if required) – up to 5 months
To final hearing – 6 to 18 months If default judgment – matters will usually take 3-6 months to conclude.

Likely Disbursements

These are expenses incurred by us in undertaking the work we do for you.

These typically are:

Barrister’s fees for Preliminary Hearing - £750 - £2,500*
Barrister’s fees for Final Hearing - £1,500 - £7,000* (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) - £245 - £275 plus VAT

Jonathan Insley (Senior Associate) - £210 plus VAT

Katherine Jameson (Associate) - £195 plus VAT

Abigail Gallagher (Trainee) - £100 plus VAT

Summary

The costs and disbursements above exclude VAT. VAT is applicable in addition to the costs/disbursements set out above.

We will assess each case and discuss with you the most cost-effective strategy. This may include settling the case at an early stage to minimise legal costs. More complex claims involving discrimination, protected disclosure etc. may need to be subject to separate pricing but we will advise you at the time if this is necessary.

The costs in each case will depend on the factual and legal complexity of claims submitted and the above noted estimates are indicative and subject to review of the circumstances of your case.

Question 2

Residential property fees

Accepted Answer

Our fees for a typical house purchase or sale are based upon the property value and for a simple transaction and range from:

Property value up to £400,000:

Fees £850.00 + VAT £170.00 = £1,020.00

Property value from £400,000 up to £2 million:

Fees from £950.00 + VAT £190.00 = £1,140.00 TO £2,000.00 + vat = £2,400.00

Property value above £2 million:

Fees from £2,500.00 + VAT £500.00 = £3,000.00

Residential property re-mortgage – fees typically between:

£500.00 + VAT £100.00 = £600.00 + disbursements and £750.00 + VAT £150.00 + £900.00 + disbursements

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 your sale or purchase. We will set out in writing the estimate for our fees, VAT and disbursements and what work we will do for you, including assumptions and exclusions. We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

Disbursements are expenses which we incur on your behalf to undertake the work which we carry out.

In a residential property purchase, these are likely to be:

Stamp Duty Land Tax, Land Registry fees and search fees

In a residential property sale, these are likely to be:

Land Registry fees for official copy entries and management company fees (where the property is leasehold)

In a residential property re-mortgage, these are likely to be:

Land Registry fees and search fees

The work we do on your behalf will be carried out at each of our offices by teams of qualified solicitors, legal executives or licensed conveyancers. The typical timescale for a property sale or purchase will depend upon a number of 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.

Our people in the Residential Property Department are:

Allan Wright – Executive Partner

Irena Spence – Partner

Eleanor Burroughs – Senior Associate

Lisa Frost – Associate

Catherine Banks – Associate

Julia Turner – Associate

Helen Reeder – Solicitor

Sarah Davis – Solicitor

Marian Yates – Solicitor

Wendy Smith – Licensed Conveyancer

Marie Rodgers – Chartered Legal Executive

Lara Bartlett – Associate Legal Executive

Question 3

Estate administration fees

Accepted Answer

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, as appropriate, H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400
arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
preparing Oath for Executors/Administrators and applying for Grant of Representation
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, as appropriate, H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400
arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
preparing Oath for Executors/Administrators and applying for Grant of Representation.
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, as appropriate, H M Revenue & Customs form IHT205 or IHT400
arranging for the payment of any Inheritance Tax payable
preparing Oath for Executors/Administrators and applying for Grant of Representation.
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. As such our fees will vary from case to case; however, shown below are our average fees.

Limited grant only IHT 205

Starting from £1,250 + VAT

Average £1,750 + VAT

Grant only IHT 205

Starting from £1,750 + VAT

Average £3,000 + VAT

Grant only IHT 400

Starting from £2,250 + VAT

Average £4,000 + VAT

Full administration IHT 205

Starting from £3,000 + VAT

Average £4,500 + VAT

Full administration IHT 400

Starting from 4,500 + VAT

Average £6,500 + VAT

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: £155 plus 50p per sealed copy of the Grant

Our current range of hourly rates for our team is between £285 + VAT at partner level to £100 + VAT at paralegal level.

Our people in the Wills, trusts, tax & probate team:

Cathy Izzard - Partner

Catherine Mowat - Partner

Nicola Havers - Executive Senior Associate

Sarah Walker - Executive Senior Associate

Letitia Glaister - Partner

Pamela Parker - Consultant

Nicola Healy - Senior Associate

Ian Johnston - Senior Associate

James Marsh - Senior Associate

Oli Budino - Associate

Carl Frost - Associate Trust & Tax Accountant

Heather Fuff - Associate

Victoria Sweeting - Associate

John Southan - Associate

Herman Cheung - Solicitor

Chris Claxton-Shirley - Solicitor

Nicholas Edwards - Solicitor

Frances Gill - Solicitor

Kim Gray - Solicitor

Tony Jones - Trust & Tax Accountant

Aisling Kelly - Solicitor

Nicola Lewis - Trust Accountant

Natalie Liversidge - Solicitor

Luck Luck Ooi - Solicitor

Angela Sewell - Solicitor

Joanne Henry - Paralegal

Andrew MacDonald - Paralegal

Sophie Shirley - Paralegal

Marta Sikora - Paralegal

James Murray - Trainee Trust & Tax Accountant

Katharine Roach - Trainee Trust & Tax Accountant

Question 4

Debt recovery up to £100,000

Accepted Answer

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

Debt value	Court fee	Our fee (incl. VAT)
Up to £5,000	£35 to £205	£250 (plus VAT of £50)
£5,001 - £10,000	£455	£500 (plus VAT of £100)
£10,001 - £25,000	5% value of the claim	£1,000 (plus VAT of £200)
£25,001 - £100,000	5% value of the claim	£1,000 to £3,000 (plus VAT of £200 to £600)*

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 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 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.

* This is a range and hourly rates apply and the advisor dealing with the matter will be identified depending on the complexity of the matter and value of the claim.