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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Who to Contact

Jane Crosby -Head of Dispute Resolution

Jane Crosby

Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution & Accredited Mediator

Jane Crosby -Head of Dispute Resolution

Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution & Accredited Mediator

Jane Crosby

Jane is a Partner based in the Guildford office and she is also Head of the Dispute Resolution team here at Hart Brown. Jane specialises in employment Law and commercial litigation and brings more than 15 years' experience to her role.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Jane was employed in the aviation industry. This experience is appreciated by many of Jane's clients who note that she is able to take a commercial and pragmatic approach to any legal issue that they face.

Jane acts for a wide range of individuals and businesses and her areas of specialism include aviation, property related industries and IT. Jane regularly advises on aspects of employment law, such as settlement agreements, employment contracts, policies and procedures, redundancies, equal pay, data protection, issues arising from TUPE and reorganisations, the calculation of holiday pay, bonus and commission payments, disciplinary and grievance issues, dismissal and termination issues, the protection of confidential information and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. Jane gets involved in GDPR training for her clients and she is able to deliver tailored employment law training sessions upon request.

As a commercial litigation lawyer, Jane also deals in shareholder and directors disputes, commercial contract disputes and the enforcement of restrictive covenants.

Jane has been involved in successful high value commercial litigation for clients in the High Courts, she is an accredited mediator and she is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Jane is often asked to write for a number of well known publications, including The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Week and she has been interviewed on BBC Radio 4.

Here is small selection of the feedback that Jane has received:

“Jane, I cannot sincerely thank you enough for your wise counsel and am delighted to have made your acquaintance. If I am blessed with a new position somewhere I will hand over my contract in the first instance to you. Likewise, any of my friends, peers, romans and countrymen wanting advice, I will point them in your direction.”

“Jane, you have been most resilient on my behalf for which I sincerely thank you for all your endeavours. I have a tremendous working relationship with Hart Brown and you have undoubtedly compounded this further."

“I appreciated the clarity of advice given at a stressful time”.

“A sensitive and highly professional approach and efficient work in the interests of the client”.

“Your advice, conduct and assistance have been indeed outstanding and very professional but also – and most importantly – very humane”.

    Yara Abdallah

    Solicitor, Dispute Resolution

    Solicitor, Dispute Resolution

    Yara Abdallah

    Yara is a Solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team here at Hart Brown, having qualified in September 2024.

    Yara obtained her degree in Law in 2020 at the University of Surrey before completing her Legal Practice Course and Masters in Law in 2021 at the University of Law.

    Yara joined Hart Brown in 2022 and practices in property litigation, employment and commercial litigation.

    Yara is committed to understanding her client’s needs and providing efficient advice and solutions.

    Some client testimonials:

    “Thank you again for going above and beyond to get this done for me.”

    “I’d like to make a special point of thanking Yara as well, she has been there too almost from the beginning! We have been lucky to have her.”

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