Services & Pricing

At Smith Partnership, we work with organisations of all sizes, delivering a fully comprehensive employment law service to both employees and employers.

Through our expert advice, legal know-how and friendly approach, we are able to build relationships with our clients, tailoring our service to meet their needs and helping them navigate the sometimes complex world of employment law.

The team offer a wide range of services including the bespoke drafting of contracts and handbooks, employment tribunal representation and consultancy services. 

Our services include advising on:

  • Essential employment law/HR documentation
  • Employee management
  • Disciplinary and grievance
  • Redundancy and restructuring
  • TUPE
  • Dismissals
  • Settlement agreements
  • Discrimination/equal opportunities
  • Confidentiality and restrictive covenants preparation
  • Employment tribunal representation

Our cost-effective approach ensures that our expert team of legal professionals are on hand to support clients through all aspects of employment law. Our pricing structure is based on hourly rates, although we are often able to provide fixed fees for certain services upon request. Our current hourly rates are:

  • Rebecca Reid, Head of Employment- £300 plus VAT (VAT at 20%)
  • Katie Bullimore, Associate- £200 plus VAT (VAT at 20%)
  • Paralegal - £130 plus VAT (VAT at 20%)

Example price ranges

Preparation of Employment Tribunal Claims for Unfair Dismissal and Wrongful Dismissal Claims

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal (excluding hearing costs) is set out below:

  • Simple case: £3,000-£6,000 (excluding VAT)
  • Medium complexity case: £6,000-£12,000 (excluding VAT)
  • High complexity case: £12,000-£25,000+ (excluding VAT)

Factors that could make a case more complex:

  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
  • Where the claim has already been issued and the claimant was acting as a litigant in person when they issued the claim. 
  • Making or defending multiple claims relating to the same claimant or multiple claimants. 
  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
  • Making or defending a costs application.
  • Making or defending claims that are brought against multiple respondents. 
  • Making or defending applications for an unless order, deposit order or strike out. 
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
  • 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 or are defending such a claim.
  • Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

Disbursement/Counsel's Fees

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

Depending on the experience of the advocate, counsel's fees (also known as barrister’s fees) will include a brief fee for counsel to prepare and attend a hearing of up to one day and, if the hearing is due to last for multiple days, will include a refresher fee for each day of their attendance from day two onwards.  

You would not normally have both a solicitor and counsel present at a hearing in the employment tribunal, and would not therefore pay both our fees and counsel’s fees for the actual hearing itself. We instruct counsel in most cases we conduct, and therefore the charged will be our preparation costs and counsel’s fees.

We will provide you with details of quotes for counsel’s fees in advance of instructing counsel.  As an example, a simple unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal claim listed for a one day hearing will normally cost between £2,500 and £5,000 excluding VAT for our preparation costs, and counsel’s fees for their preparation and attendance at the hearing.  

Additional costs

There will be an additional charge for us attending a tribunal hearing as well as counsel of between £1,000-£2,000 per day (excluding VAT) depending on the fee earner in attendance.  

It is difficult to estimate how long a case will take to be heard and we will try to guide each case individually. Generally, we would allow 1-2 days for an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal claim, and 3-10 days for a discrimination-related dismissal claim, depending on the complexity of your case.

The example price ranges 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 merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and is subject to change).
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
  • Preparing claim or response.
  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from the other party.
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process.
  • Preparing or considering a schedule of loss.
  • Preparing for (and attending) a case management preliminary hearing.
  • Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents.
  • Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses.
  • Preparing bundle of documents.
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements, and obtaining instructions on the contents.
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list, where required.
  • Preparation for the final hearing, including instructions to counsel.

The stages set out above are an indication. If some of these stages are not required, the fee will 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 to suit your individual needs.

How long will it take?

The time that it takes from receiving 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 up to 12 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 1-2 years. This is just an estimate – we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.