Employment

We recognise that being involved in an employment dispute is incredibly personal, daunting and a stressful time. Obtaining the right employment advice can assist in reducing that pressure and can make a significant difference to the outcome.

With our services, you can expect to receive a clear but compassionate expert advice regarding the strengths and risks with your case, timely responses and solutions that are cost-effective and transparent.
 
We frequently provide advice, guidance and support for employees over all aspects of the employment relationship. We can assist with raising grievances, defending disciplinary proceedings, advising on restrictive covenants and alleged breaches, negotiating exit package or handling a settlement agreement.
 
If you are unable to resolve the matter and wish to pursue a claim against your employer, we can advise you and guide you through this process, ensuring that you are appropriately compensated.
 
Hughes Paddison specialise in all aspects of Employment Law. Just some of the areas that we can help with are:
 
Settlement agreements 
Disciplinary and grievance proceedings
Changes to your terms and conditions
Restrictive covenants
Unfair dismissal
Discrimination and harassment
Public interest disclosures (Whistleblowing)

Our Employment Department is led by Kimberley Whalen-Blake, Director and Head of Employment. Click here to learn more about Kim.

So if you have a need for expert, objective and personal Employment Law advice please contact our Employment Law Director, Kimberley Whalen-Blake on 01242 574244.

Our Prices 

We appreciate and understand that cost transparency and certainty is very important to our clients. Employment law advice and support is very specific to the facts of each and every matter. It is difficult to give a generic estimate without knowing your particulars circumstances. Please do contact Kimberley Whalen-Blake who will be able to give you a free, no obligation quote tailored to your needs and budget.
 
A guide for our pricing of the more straightforward unfair or wrongful dismissal claims is below.
 
Simple case (1 day hearing): £2,000 to £5,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20% and disbursements)
Medium complexity case (2 to 5 days): £5,000 to £20,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20% and disbursements)
High complexity case (5 days plus): £20,000 to £50,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20% and disbursements)
 
Factors that could make a case more complex include:
 
Claims that also involve allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing, or automatic unfair dismissal such as a TUPE or health and safety related dismissal.
Complex factual background, spanning several years.
Number of documents or witnesses.
Making or resisting a costs application.
Attending to preliminary issues such as jurisdictional issues or time frames.
Disbursements are items such as barrister, expert or witness expenses.

The range of costs provided are based on our hourly rates, which vary based on the level of expertise needed to provide you with the right service. 
 

Key stages

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

•             Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the strength of your case and likely compensation (this will be revisited throughout the matter)

•             Entering into pre-claim conciliation, where this is mandatory, to explore whether a settlement can be reached

•             Exploring and negotiating potential settlement throughout the process

•             Preparing the necessary paperwork to issue the claim

•             Drafting a Schedule of your Losses

•             Exchanging documents with the other side, reviewing documents and creating a bundle for the Tribunal

•             Obtaining and drafting witness statements,

•             Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements

•             Agreeing a list of issues and chronology where necessary

•             Dealing with any Telephone Preliminary Hearing

The charges cover each stage, however some of the stages may not be required and the costs would adjust to reflect the changes. Similarly costs could be reduced if you decided to take on some of the preparation yourself, for example obtaining the first drafts of the witness statements yourself.  If you have a specific budget to work with, please do contact us and we can advise you on how to make the budget more cost-effective, ensuring the budget is invested in the more crucial elements.

The range of costs provided are based on our hourly rates, which vary based on the level of expertise needed to provide you with the right service. 

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your case that are payable to third parties, such as expert fees, counsel costs or court fees. These are costs in addition to the sums set out above. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

If you decide to instruct a barrister to represent you and present your case at a Tribunal Hearing, it is likely you can expect a fee to range from £750 to £3,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) for a one day case. The cost will significantly vary depending on the level of experience you wish to instruct. If the hearing is more than 1 day, the barrister will charge what is called a refresher fee, these typically range from £250 to £1250 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) per additional day.

Funding

You may have other funding options available, such as cover under an insurance policy and this should be checked by you as it could reduce your costs.

How long will my case take?

The time that it takes from your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which you case is resolved and the timetable determined by the employment tribunal handling your case. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take between 2 to 6 weeks from commencement of the pre-claim conciliation process. However, if your claim proceeds to a final hearing in the employment tribunal, your case is likely to take between 6 to 12 months from the date the claim is issued for a simple claim. The more complex claims could take a couple of years. We will of course advise you more accurately on time frames, having understood the specifics of your case.