Termination of Employment
Guidance when your employment has ended unfairly
If your employment has been terminated unfairly or in breach of contract, you may have a claim against your employer for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal or even discrimination. If you are unhappy about anything surrounding the termination of your employment, it is important to seek advice from our specialists as soon as possible.
At Hart Brown, our employment lawyers regularly advise employees at all levels as to their options and the merits of bringing a claim against their employer. We understand both the emotional concerns and the commercial realities for an employee finding themselves at odds with their employer.
With extensive experience representing clients from a wide range of industries, our lawyers are able to assist with high-value, multi-issue unfair dismissal claims. We provide practical, cost-effective advice and guidance to ensure that you get the best outcome, including the compensation you deserve, whether that means going to the employment tribunal or negotiating an early settlement.
For advice on termination of employment, or any other employment-related issue, please do not hesitate to contact us. Call, email or request a call back from one of our experts today.
Our Fees
Estimated costs for a full employment tribunal case, based on an hourly rate of £348 (inclusive of VAT at 20%).
A straightforward case: £6,612 to £9,396 (inclusive of VAT at 20%)
Medium complexity case: £10,440 – £13,920 (inclusive of VAT at 20%)
High complexity case: £16,008 – £22,620 (inclusive of VAT at 20%)
Our fees cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of an employment tribunal case:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing documents and advising you on the strength of your case and likely compensation.
- Entering into a pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
- Preparing your claim form for the employment tribunal.
- Reviewing and advising on your claim.
- Exploring whether there is an opportunity to negotiate a settlement as early as possible.
- Preparing or considering a schedule of loss.
- Preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing.
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents.
- Taking witness statements, drafting witness statements and agreeing their content with witnesses.
- Preparing a bundle of documents.
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements, agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or a list of the people involved.
- Preparation and attendance at the Final Hearing, including preparing instructions for a barrister.
These key stages are listed as an indication only. If you do not require us to undertake all of the steps detailed above, we can reduce your fees accordingly. For example, you may wish to handle the claim yourself and only engage us to advise on a specific stage. Please contact us directly for a personal quotation based on your unique requirements.
Extra factors that could increase the complexity of a case and affect the cost:
- If it is necessary to make an application to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
- Defending claims that are brought by people representing themselves.
- Making or defending a costs application.
- Complex issues such as establishing the issue of a disability.
- The number of witnesses and documents.
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer.
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.
- There will be an additional charge for attending a tribunal hearing of £1,740 (inclusive of VAT at 20%) per day.
Other additional expenses that you can expect:
- Costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We will handle the payment of these expenses on your behalf to ensure a smooth process.
- Barristers fees are usually estimated between £1,800 to £2,400 (inclusive of VAT at 20%) per day for attending a tribunal hearing, depending on the barrister’s experience.
- Our admin fee for customer due diligence – £24 (per client) including VAT at 20%.
- Our admin fee for a GB Business Report and Business Sanctions Check of £24 (per check) including VAT at 20%.
How long will the process take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation your case is likely to take 4 – 6 weeks.
If your claim proceeds to a final hearing your case is likely to take 12 – 27 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information as the matter progresses.
* Last updated July 2024.
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