How we charge

Factors that could make a case more complex and result in additional fees include but are not limited to the following:

• 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 litigants in person
• Making or defending a costs application
• Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties) or whether the claimant is an employee
• The number of witnesses and documents (a simple case will typically include up to 2 witnesses, plus the claimant and consist of no more than 300 pages of documents)
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed for whistleblowing at work and/or for a health and safety related reason
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal (and other claims being brought within the unfair/wrongful dismissal claim)
• The value of the claim and whether there are complex losses claimed under a pension scheme, share scheme or other equity-based scheme

Our usual hourly charge out rates are between £275 plus VAT to £500 plus VAT (depending on the complexity of your case and experience of the solicitor), as at 1 January 2021. Our rates may be increased each year and we may offer lower rates for some cases. If we are instructed to attend a Tribunal Hearing then there will be an additional charge of between £1,000 – £2,000 per day (plus VAT) for a junior solicitor.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, barrister’s, expert’s fees and courier charges. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Barrister’s fees are generally estimated between £1,000 to £2,500 per day (plus VAT) (depending on the level of experience of the advocate) for providing representation at a Tribunal Hearing. For complex cases it may be advisable to instruct a more senior barrister and their fees will be higher.

Key stages

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

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
• Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
• Preparing the claim form and Grounds of Claim setting out your case and the nature of the dispute or preparing the response form when a claim has been made against you
• Reviewing and advising on the claim or the response from other party
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
• Preparing or considering a Schedule of Loss
• Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
• Exchanging List of Documents and copies with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
• Preparing the bundle 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 and attendance at the Final Hearing, including preparing instructions to the barrister

The stages set out are an indication and if some of stages above are not required or are modified in any way, then the fee may be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs and budget.

Other funding options

There could be other funding options available to you such as legal expenses cover under an insurance policy, e.g. your home insurance. We regularly act for clients under the terms of their legal expenses insurance policies, including Direct Line, Arc Legal, DAS, Halifax and Abbey Legal Protection, among others. The insurers have a legal duty under EU Law to provide policy holders with the freedom to choose their own firm of solicitors, rather than a panel firm. Alternative funding options can be discussed in further detail at your initial meeting.

As stated above, in exceptional cases, we may consider acting under the terms of a damages based agreement (“DBA”). In order to assess whether we can deal with a matter based upon a DBA, we would need to assess the merits and commercial viability of the case before agreeing to deal with it on those terms. We would charge, based on our usual hourly rates, for the initial meeting and reviewing any relevant documents. We would then carry out an assessment of the matter and decide whether to deal with it under a DBA.

If we take your case on under a DBA, you would be responsible for the cost of any disbursements which you would have to pay as and when they are incurred. If successful in recovering damages on your behalf, we would then deduct a certain % from your damages.

Fees in other types of employment claims

The above relates to unfair/wrongful dismissal claims only. The estimate does not apply to more complex discrimination claims or bonus disputes in the High Court. To see what other types of claims we deal with, please click here and contact us for a bespoke quote.

We are fully transparent about costs and keep clients informed all the way through.

Complaints

Rahman Lowe is committed to providing the highest standards of service to its clients. If at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, and you would like to make a complaint, then please contact the partner responsible for your matter who will be happy to discuss the matter with you and try to address your concerns.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may invoke the Firm’s complaints procedure and we will endeavour to resolve your complaint in accordance with our policy.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made within six months of the conclusion of the firm’s internal complaint process. For more information, contact the Legal Ombudsman (0300 555 0333 or refer to www.legalombudsman.org.uk).

Rahman Lowe is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA). Complaints (such as reporting someone’s behaviour) may also be made directly to the SRA. See www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page for more details.