Employment Law

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Employment Law Solicitors in Milton Keynes

We appreciate that Employment Law can be a challenging area for both Employers and Employees alike. No case is too big or too small and our experienced solicitors are here to help relieve the burden and be with you at every step of the way, ensuring you receive a service tailored to meet your needs.

Our clients

We have dealt with all types of employment law related issues and have successfully advised our clients in respect of defending disciplinary proceedings, raising grievances, pursuing tribunal claims or answering questions on points of employment law that appear to have been breached.

Our Services for Employees include

Breach of Contract
Bullying & Harassment
Disciplinary Procedures
Discrimination
Employment Tribunal Claim
Grievances
Redundancy
Restrictive Covenants
Our Services for Employers include:
Dealing with Disciplinary Procedures
Dealing with Grievances
Drafting Employment Contracts
Drafting Handbooks & Policies
Redundancy
Settlement Agreements
Termination of Employment

All initial consultations in relation to Settlement Agreements are free of charge.
Contact our specialist Employment Solicitors on 01908 560343 to book an appointment

Our employment law service for employees

Our team will meet with you for an initial, fixed fee consultation to explore the employment law issues you face or understand your objectives. This will then allow us to explore all of the options open to you and put together a tailor made plan of action moving forward. During our initial meeting we aim to discuss your objectives, your timescales and also your budget. We can then ensure any advice given meets your needs.

If you have been offered a settlement agreement it is customary for the employer to make a contribution towards your legal fees. It may be that this contribution covers all of our fees for advising on the terms and effects of the agreement. This is something that will be discussed with you from the outset.

Our employment law fees

We do not aim to be the cheapest option but strive to be the most cost effective. Our initial consultation with you is on a fixed fee basis. We try to work with clients on a fixed fee basis so everyone knows where they stand in respect of fees. This can sometimes be difficult and subject to change. If costs in your matter are likely to be higher than estimated, you will be told immediately. Our billing system is such is that we interim bill on a manageable and affordable basis to avoid the fear and strain of a large legal bill at the end of a piece of work. We can also discuss funding options with you where appropriate.

Employment Fees

Under Rule 1 of the SRA Transparency Rules we are required to publish information on our prices for some of the services we offer. Here we set our Employment Fees.

Employment Tribunal: Range of Costs

Our Fees:

As no cases are the same our indicative pricing (based upon our hourly rates) for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are:

Simple case - £ 3,000 - £10,000
Medium complexity case - £10,000 - £25,000
High complexity case - £25,000 - £50,000 +

All fees stated above exclude VAT which will be charged in addition at the the current rate of 20% and also exclude disbursements.

The above figures are only estimates and we can provide a further detailed view on potential costs once we have considered the case.

Our current hourly rates:

Partner/Senior Solicitor £300
Assistant Solicitor (up to 8 years qualified) £260
Trainee/Paralegal £140

Factors that could make a case more expensive and complex:

If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim

Defending claims that are brought by persons acting without a legal representative
Making or defending a costs application
Complex preliminary issues such as whether the Claimant is disabled or a particular category of worker
The number of witnesses and documents is high
If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim
Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
Allegations that involve whistle-blowing.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and/or Barristers Fees, and which are called 'disbursements'. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. We may ask for these fees on account in order to pay the third party.

Barrister’s Fees:

You would usually be represented by a Barrister in respect of any Tribunal hearing. Their fees are estimated between £500 and £2,000 (plus VAT) per day including preparation, depending on the experience of the Barrister and the length of hearing. There may be other costs payable to third parties, such as expert witnesses and medical reports, depending upon the nature of the claim.

Key Stages

The examples of typical costs above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal case:

Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on your prospects of success in the case and the likely compensation and costs, although this is likely to be revisited throughout the case and subject to change.
Entering into pre-claim conciliation with ACAS where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
Preparing your claim or a response to a claim.
Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party.
Exploring settlement throughout the process and negotiating the terms of settlement.
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.
Drafting witness statements and agreeing their content with witnesses.
Preparing bundles of documents for the final hearing.
Reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements.
Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
Preparation for final hearing, including instructions to and conferences with the barrister.

The stages set out above are an indication only. If some of the stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. Clients may wish to attempt to handle some or all parts of a matter themselves and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged based on your individual needs.

How long will the matter 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 capable of settlement. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation your case is likely to take 3 – 4 months. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing your case is likely to take up to two years depending on the availability of time for your hearing at the Employment Tribunal. This is just an estimate and we will of course give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

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