How We Work

The process and available payment options

Initial contact between us

Whether you are an employer or an employee, we appreciate that instructing a solicitor to deal with your employment issue is an important decision. You will want to feel comfortable working with us and you will want to be assured that we will do our very best for you. We listen to the feedback we get from our clients and we understand that you would like the opportunity to speak to one of our solicitors before deciding whether to instruct us.

In most situations, and before you decide whether you would like to instruct us, one of our solicitors will have a brief telephone call with you to find out a little more about your issue to see if this is something we can help you with. The purpose of this call is to discuss how we would work with you, which solicitor would be the most appropriate to help you and how our fee structure works. If we can, we will give you an idea of preliminary fees.

On other occasions, depending on your query, we may send you an email to explain how we operate and what you will need to do to instruct us to advise you.

We will not charge you for this initial call and there is no obligation to instruct us following this call, but we are not able to give legal advice until you become a client. In particular, we will not give you specific advice on your personal situation until you have instructed us. We do not offer “no win no fee” arrangements.

 

We are very proud of the relationships we have with our clients many of whom have been clients for several years. We recommend you look at our testimonials page which includes some of the positive feedback we get from our valued clients.

“A note to thank you for your patient guidance and expertise in two very tricky situations which had driven me to despair, in fact were making me feel that it was pointless trying to continue. So thank you for guiding us through that process. We are all now able to move on.” – 2020 Client

 

“I found JE Solicitors through a Google Search as I needed some advice on a settlement agreement. Helen called me back promptly & dealt with the agreement for me within 24 hours (actually the same day!). Totally professional & friendly advice & would highly recommend to anyone.” – 2020 Client

 

“Rachel, thank you for all your help and support this year. It has been very much appreciated and will be remembered.” – Owner of a chain of Opticians


I’m an Employer

I’m an Individual

Insurance
You should check any current insurance policy that you hold as it may provide you with “legal expenses” cover. This means we can be appointed as your representative and your insurer pays your legal fees. Please note it is your responsibility to check whether you have cover and, if so, to comply with the terms of the policy.
Time basis
The way we usually charge is in line with how most law firms charge, which is on a time basis, meaning; the more time we spend, the more we charge. When working in this way, we generally agree budgets / fee ranges with you before undertaking any work and work within those. We bill monthly to also help put you in control of your legal fees. All our Partners are fully qualified, senior and experienced, with a minimum 15 years’ post-qualification experience and often a lot more. Please see our individual bios for more detail. All our Consultants, Senior Associates and Associates are, likewise, experts in their field all with many years’ experience. When working on a time basis, our Partners and Consultants charge between £350 - £450 + VAT per hour. Our Senior Associates charge £310 - £330 + VAT per hour. Our Associates charge £275 + VAT per hour. Paralegals/legal assistants charge £100 + VAT per hour. HR Consultants charge £150 + VAT per hour.
Fixed Fee
We can, and often do, work on a fixed-fee basis. When advising individuals on settlement agreements, for example, we often accept work on the basis that our fees will be fixed in line with the contribution from their employer (assuming terms are agreed). We also offer our commercial clients fixed annual HR Support contracts and regularly undertake specific drafting tasks, such as, contracts of employment or staff handbooks on a fixed fee basis. While it can be difficult to undertake Tribunal / litigation work on a fixed fee basis, we can usually predict the likely / estimated fee range for each part of the litigation / process and may be able to undertake certain stages of the work for a fixed fee.
Fees - Unfair Dismissal Claim
These are generally more complex than wrongful dismissal cases. For a straightforward case (ordinary unfair dismissal only, a 1-2 day final hearing our estimated fee range is £10,000 - £19,000 plus VAT. For a more complex case that may involve issues of automatic unfair dismissal, more than two days hearing, the need for a preliminary hearing(s) and two or more witnesses, our estimated fee range is £15,000 - £70,000 plus VAT. As we say above, the above figures are purely an estimate (and a broad one at that), so please contact us, so we can discuss your specific situation and provide a more detailed/specific estimate of fees. We may be able to provide fixed fee quotations for different stages of employment tribunal claims. Employment tribunal claims have many different stages to them, and the overall cost of bringing or defending your claim will generally depend on the legal issues involved, number of witnesses and the length of the final hearing. For the wrongful and unfair dismissal price ranges, this includes; submitting your claim or defence, attending preliminary hearings preparing and agreeing trial bundles and preparing witness statements. It does not include representation at the final hearing, reconsiderations, appeals or remedy hearings. When acting for you we may incur costs from third parties, which are known as ‘disbursements. Disbursements: The disbursement we usually incur is counsel’s fees; usually for representation at an Employment Tribunal. The Barristers we tend to use cost approximately £1,000 to £2,000 + VAT per day depending on their experience. In order to obtain a specific price and quote for any disbursement, we will need to understand the work involved and agree those fees with you and Counsel before they are incurred. We will discuss all options with you and how and who will incur any disbursements.
Fees - Wrongful Dismissal Claim (a claim for notice monies)
These cases are usually simple with limited witnesses. As such, our estimated fee range is £4,000 to £8,000 plus VAT. Disbursements: The disbursement we usually incur is counsel’s fees; usually for representation at an Employment Tribunal. The Barristers we tend to use cost approximately £1,000 to £2,000 + VAT per day depending on their experience. In order to obtain a specific price and quote for any disbursement, we will need to understand the work involved and agree those fees with you and Counsel before they are incurred. We will discuss all options with you and how and who will incur any disbursements.
Time basis
The way we usually charge is in line with how most law firms charge, which is on a time basis, meaning; the more time we spend, the more we charge. When working in this way, we generally agree budgets / fee ranges with you before undertaking any work and work within those. We bill monthly to also help put you in control of your legal fees. All our Partners are fully qualified, senior and experienced, with a minimum 15 years’ post-qualification experience and often a lot more. Please see our individual bios for more detail. All our Consultants, Senior Associates and Associates are, likewise, experts in their field all with many years’ experience. When working on a time basis, our Partners and Consultants charge between £350 - £450 + VAT per hour. Our Senior Associates charge £310 - £330 + VAT per hour. Our Associates charge £275 + VAT per hour. Paralegals/legal assistants charge £100 + VAT per hour. HR Consultants charge £150 + VAT per hour.
Fees - Bringing an Unfair Dismissal Claim
These are generally more complex than wrongful dismissal cases. For a straightforward case (ordinary unfair dismissal only, a 1-2 day final hearing), our estimated fee range is £10,000 - £19,000 plus VAT. For a more complex case that may involve issues of automatic unfair dismissal, more than two days hearing, the need for a preliminary hearing(s) and two or more witnesses, our estimated fee range is £15,000 - £70,000 plus VAT. As we say above, the above figures are purely an estimate (and a broad one at that), so please contact us, so we can discuss your specific situation and provide a more detailed/specific estimate of fees. We may be able to provide fixed fee quotations for different stages of employment tribunal claims. Employment tribunal claims have many different stages to them, and the overall cost of bringing or defending your claim will generally depend on the legal issues involved, number of witnesses and the length of the final hearing. For the wrongful and unfair dismissal price ranges above, this includes submitting your claim or defence, attending preliminary hearings preparing and agreeing trial bundles and; preparing witness statements. It does not include representation at the final hearing, reconsiderations, appeals or remedy hearings. Disbursements: The disbursement we usually incur is counsel’s fees; usually for representation at an Employment Tribunal. The Barristers we tend to use cost approximately £1,000 to £2,000 + VAT per day depending on their experience. In order to obtain a specific price and quote for any disbursement, we will need to understand the work involved and agree those fees with you and Counsel before they are incurred. We will discuss all options with you and how and who will incur any disbursements.
Fixed-Fee basis
We can, and often do, work on a fixed-fee basis. When advising individuals on settlement agreements, for example, we often accept work on the basis that our fees will be fixed in line with the contribution from their employer (assuming terms are agreed). We also offer our commercial clients fixed annual HR Support contracts and regularly undertake specific drafting tasks, such as, contracts of employment or staff handbooks on a fixed fee basis. While it can be difficult to undertake Tribunal / litigation work on a fixed fee basis, we can usually predict the likely / estimated fee range for each part of the litigation / process and may be able to undertake certain stages of the work for a fixed fee.
Insurance
You should check any current insurance policy that you hold as it may provide you with “legal expenses” cover. This means we can be appointed as your representative and your insurer pays your legal fees. Please note it is your responsibility to check whether you have cover and, if so, to comply with the terms of the policy.
Fees - Bringing a Wrongful Dismissal Claim (a claim for notice monies)
These cases are usually simple with limited witnesses. As such, our estimated fee range is £4,000 to £8,000 plus VAT. Disbursements: The disbursement we usually incur is counsel’s fees; usually for representation at an Employment Tribunal. The Barristers we tend to use cost approximately £1,000 to £2,000 + VAT per day depending on their experience. In order to obtain a specific price and quote for any disbursement, we will need to understand the work involved and agree those fees with you and Counsel before they are incurred. We will discuss all options with you and how and who will incur any disbursements.

How can we help you today?

Settlement Agreements

We can help you obtain
the best possible agreement.

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I'm an employer

We help managers to solve people problems, individual and collective.

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I'm an employee

We win compensation by settlement or award in nearly 90% of claims.

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HR Advice

We are different to most HR advisors as we are qualified solicitors.

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I would like to express my sincerest thanks for all your help in person….we would like someone who is reliable and good, basically someone of your calibre. Dr A A, London University