Our No Surprises Promise

What makes us different

Unlike traditional law firms, we’re not interested in the idea of meandering our way through your case on an hourly rate. Our only instinct is to work out the most effective strategy using our legal toolkit to resolve your problem. We partner with you to work the options that get you the best outcome quickly.

This guide is designed to tell you everything you need to know about our unique 4 Stage Approach to getting you the resolution you want. It lays out a range of typical prices, how that’s worked out, what’s included and what is expected when circumstances change so there are no surprises later.

Our team is made up of solicitors who all have at least 5 years experience, specialising in employment law solutions. Our competitive pricing reflects the fact that they all work remotely and only attend in-person meetings when clients expressly ask for them. This will result in an uplift of our standard fees to accommodate travel time and travel costs.

Four types of fees

We have four different fee structures depending on the type of services required by our employee and employer clients

1. fixed fees
   most of our client’s choose this because they prefer to pay for the problem solved than by the hour;
2. hourly billing
   this is usually a last resort when the complexity of the case makes certainty of outcome difficult to price any other way.
3. retainer prices
   some of our employer clients partner with Astute Law as their outsourced legal team with an agreed monthly fee for ad hoc support on all their HR and Employment Law challenges.
4. legal expenses insurance
   you may be covered under the terms of your business, home or motor insurance policy. In this arrangement the insurer usually sets an hourly rate.

How we price your issue resolution

We believe it’s important to give you clarity about your options for resolving your situation and the likely costs of each step (time and money) before you commit to pursue any course of action. That way we can focus your solution in line with your budget and desired outcomes.

As you would expect, each case is different, and the work involved to achieve the desired solution can vary significantly depending upon the circumstances, supporting evidence, the solutions available and how far you are willing to pursue your case. You see, it’s not just the money. It’s also the time and energy in relation to the potential outcome. Is the juice worth the squeeze?

For example, the cost of resolving a wrongful dismissal claim can come with a minefield of complexity including demonstrating unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal. Constructive dismissal could be the outcome of harassment, discrimination, whistleblowing or other challenges. The higher the value of the potential award (if it proceeds to an Employment Tribunal) the more work it requires to build, negotiate and represent your claim.

Our promise to you

A case like that is obviously more complex than a simple settlement agreement. It’s not just a matter of applying a rule book to a set of facts and arguing who is right. Employment law at its best is about finding solutions to broken business relationships.

Whatever your situation, we will help you weigh up the cost of complexity vs the potential outcome so you can decide what is right for you.

We’ve got your back and so we see it as our duty to start by mapping out the challenge. For example, it may not make sense to invest £30,000 plus time and emotional energy to pursue an settlement outcome that at best can achieve a £35,000 award.

Our 4 Stages Approach to achieving your success

Our unique 4 Stage Approach is designed to solve your problem in a way that means you only pay for the most cost-effective route to the outcome you want.

Factors that could make a case more complex and more costly

Whether you are on a fixed-price arrangement or an hourly rate, complexity means it takes more time and therefore costs more to get the result you want. The kinds of complexity that will affect your cost include:

• The number of witnesses and documents involved in building your case. A simple case will typically include up to 2 witnesses, plus you.
• If new complexity and important documents come to light after the case assessment, it will obviously take more time and may require a price adjustment.
• If we first have to establish complex facts that the parties disagree about – like whether the claimant meets the Equality Act definition of disability or whether the claimant is considered an employee in the first place.
• If there are allegations of harassment or discrimination which are linked to an unfair/wrongful dismissal claim.
• If the value of the claim makes the resolution harder to achieve because the defendant is unwilling to negotiate.
• If there are complex losses claimed under a pension scheme, share scheme or other equity-based scheme.
• If there is personal injury element to a discrimination claim.
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim based on company policy that conflicts with your employment rights e.g. if you are dismissed for whistleblowing and/or for a health and safety related reason.
• If it becomes necessary to make or defend applications or to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
• Making or defending a costs application.

Everything above is an indication and cannot be taken as an estimate or quote for resolving your specific situation.

Other factors that could affect the cost

Whether we have quoted a fixed price solution or an estimate with an hourly rate, it’s ultimately based on two factors; the type and complexity of the case and the estimated work to achieve the outcome you want.

At every strategic step we will keep you informed about the progress towards your solution. Our case management system helps us to monitor the level of progress vs the time budget.

When solutions become excessively time consuming it’s usually because the level of communication required by the client was unforeseen and has become more than the budget can accommodate. If this happens, we will raise the issue with you. The remedies are:

• an agreement to reduce the level of communication
• a fee adjustment to reflect the level of communication required or
• a revision to the services provided in order to stay within your budget or
• if agreement cannot be reached, we may choose to end our services with a tidy handover of all your documents and a fair refund (based on a fair assessment of unused budget).

In the event of a budget increase, we will help you re-assess whether it’s still cost-effective for you.

How long will my resolution take?

The time that it takes to achieve the settlement of your case depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. The cooperation of the other party and/or their solicitor will be a factor. If a settlement is reached during the Stage 3 negotiation, your case is likely to take 4 to 12 weeks.

This is just an estimate and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale at case assessment Stage.

Our Hourly Rates

As at 1 January 2024, our standard hourly rates for different levels of experience are between £214 plus VAT to £365 plus VAT – depending on the level of solicitor experience needed to resolve your case.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your case that are payable to third parties, such as Tribunal fees (currently free), barrister’s fees, expert’s fees and courier charges (typically £35-£50 + vat per case).

We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and then add them to your bill.

The largest disbursement is typically barrister’s fees and for simple cases are estimated between £1,000 to £2,000 per day (plus VAT). Complex cases may require a more senior barrister and their fees may be higher.

Got questions?

If you have any questions about pricing or our 3 Stage Approach, please call 020 3011 0201 or email info@astutelaw.co.uk