How we charge
All you need to know about paying for your legal support
When you are facing uncertainty at work, you will have several priorities as you look for a leading lawyer. One significant factor will be ensuring that the fees are reasonable and value for money as you face the worry of a sudden loss of income. We know that it is important to find a fee arrangement that will be suitable for you at a challenging time.
We offer a free consultation to assess your case and offer some initial advice. During that call we will discuss various fee options with you.
We have prepared this short guide to give you information about our fees.
Settlement agreement - our price promise
When receiving advice on the terms of a settlement agreement, it is important that everyone, irrespective of means, should be able to access high-quality advice from a senior practitioner. As such, our policy is to charge no more than your employer is prepared to pay to advise you on the terms and effect of the settlement agreement.
Fees are usually between £400 to £800 plus VAT for a straightforward settlement agreement and we expect that this fee will be met by your employer.
If you would like to instruct us to negotiate the amount or some of the terms, we can discuss and agree in advance whether there would be any additional fees payable. In most cases, we will merely invoice your employer.
Fee options for negotiations
Hourly rate
As a partner-only firm your case will always be undertaken by a senior practitioner with at least 12 years of post-qualification experience, and they will be your point of contact. Our partners’ hourly rate is £400 plus VAT (as of April 2023). Before we undertake work on an hourly rate basis, we will provide you with an estimate and keep you updated on the time spent.
Fixed fee
We can offer a fixed fee arrangement for a specific piece of work. For example, if you wish to instruct us to draft a without prejudice letter for you, or to provide an assessment of the merits of your case.
Damages-based fee arrangement
We offer this arrangement when we are instructed to negotiate a severance with your employer. To assess if we can offer a DBA, we consider will consider various factors to check that it is commercial viability to work this way. We are unlikely to offer a DBA for representation in an employment tribunal litigation process. However, if there is a DBA in place for the negotiation, we may be able to offer a reduced hourly rate for the Tribunal work. Under a DBA, you would be responsible for the cost of any disbursements that you would have to pay, for example counsel’s fees. If successful in recovering damages on your behalf, the fees would be payable at the conclusion of your case.
Legal expenses insurance
You may have existing insurance cover, usually with your home contents insurer. If you have existing cover, we can liaise with your insurer and explore funding of your case this way.
Key information on fees:
- If you would like to instruct us to negotiate the amount or some of the terms, we can discuss and agree in advance whether or not there would be any additional sums payable
- In the vast majority of cases, we will merely invoice your employer
- Our usual hourly rate is £400 plus VAT (as at April 2023) . Our rates may be increased each year
- If we are instructed to attend a Tribunal Hearing then there will be additional charges
- Additional charges would be calculated with reference to our hourly rate.