Pricing information under the SRA Transparency Rules
Debt recovery (up to £100,000)
We will send a letter before action and attempt to engage with the debtor prior to the issue of proceedings. There is a fixed charge for this service of £150 plus VAT and disbursements (which we will ask you to authorise in advance).
If proceedings are necessary. | Then in respect of all work up to and including the entry of a default judgment, we will charge you £500 plus VAT and disbursements (which we will ask you to authorise in advance). We will include fixed recoverable costs in the claim and default judgment costs, both of which will vary according to the value of the claim. |
If proceedings (to recover a debt under £10,000) are necessary, but they are defended by the debtor, and the matter proceeds to a trial (or if they are settled by negotiation/mediation). | We will charge you no more than £2,500 plus VAT plus disbursements (which we will ask you to authorise in advance). We will include fixed recoverable costs in the claim, which will vary according to the value of the claim. |
If proceedings (to recover a debt over £10,000) are necessary, but they are defended by the debtor, and the matter proceeds to a trial (or if they are settled by negotiation/mediation). | We will charge you no more than £6,000 plus VAT plus disbursements (which we will ask you to authorise in advance). In the event that you are successful then costs follow the event and we will look to recover your costs (agreed or assessed by the Court) on your behalf. |
Defending an Employment Tribunal claim (for unfair or wrongful dismissal)
Employment Tribunal litigation represents a significant area of business risk; although it is often said that employees represent a business’s greatest asset, potentially they can also represent its greatest liability.
No matter how rigorous and fair your employment policies and procedures are, it is sometime impossible to avoid a situation escalating to an Employment Tribunal, and when it does, expert sensible pragmatic and commercially astute advice is essential; along with diligent and careful preparation. Given the Peninsula Group’s pedigree, Irwell Law is perfectly equipped to offer you sound advice from the very outset to help maximise the likelihood of a positive and reputation enhancing outcome.
There are very many factors that will affect our fees for representing you in the defence of an Employment tribunal claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal, but our experience tells us that complexity is by far and away the single biggest influencing factor. With that in mind, our fees for representing you are banded according to case complexity; low complexity, not more than £5,000; medium complexity, not more than £7,500; and high complexity, not more than £10,000. All plus VAT and disbursements, which we will ask you to authorise in advance. In all cases this fee will include taking initial instructions; pre-claim conciliation; drafting a pleaded response to the claim and completing the ET3; attending any Preliminary Hearings; dealing with and complying with directions and orders regarding discovery and inspection of documents; the drafting of witness statements; advising on the merits and options available at all times and negotiating settlement if instructed to do so; preparing for the hearing and representing you before the Employment Tribunal.
These fees are based on the assumption that your former employee is not bringing any claim, other than a claim for unfair and/or wrongful dismissal. If there is however an additional claim, say for discrimination, then our fees will increase, and the basis of our fee arrangement will then be discussed and agreed with you in advance. These fees are also based on the assumption that the length of the final hearing is no more than one day. Additional days will be charged at the rate of £1,200 per day plus VAT (or prorated for part days).
Typical timescales for claims before the Employment Tribunal can vary depending on the complexity of the claim, the manner and way in which the employee (or their representative) conducts the case, and the listing arrangements in place at the time in the Tribunal centre where the case is to be heard. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably created a backlog and currently significant delays are being experienced in the handling of all Employment Tribunal claims. If settlement is achieved during pre-claim conciliation then your case will typically take up to 4 weeks to complete. If however the claim proceeds all the way to a final hearing, it could take as long as 39 weeks.
Your case will typically be handled by Mark Owen the Firm’s principal solicitor. Should he be required to undertake any work for you which is outside the fixed fee arrangement, then his hourly charging rate Is £150 plus VAT. If we need to rely on his hourly rate then we will provide you with an estimate of the time that additional work is likely to cost in advance.
Contact Irwell Law today to find out how our services can help protect your business.