Whether you are an employer or an employee, employment law is integral to your business and to your working life. Getting it wrong can have serious consequences. We can advise you on the full range of both contentious and non-contentious aspects of employment law, including difficulties in the employment relationship, recruitment and termination of employment, day-to day HR issues, employment contracts and policies, and supporting you in relation to employment claims in the Employment Tribunal and High Court.
Our commitment is to provide you with clear advice from the outset, based on our specialist legal knowledge and a close appreciation of your particular circumstances. We will get to know you and your objectives so that we can provide you with a personal level of service which is responsive, tailored to your personal or commercial objectives and, importantly, cost-effective.
Howard Hymanson
Partner
E: howard.hymanson@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Marian Derham
Partner
E: marian.derham@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Yvonne Gallagher
Partner
E: yvonne.gallagher@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0) 20 7667 5000
Poppy Lucas
Senior Associate
E: poppy.lucas@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Charlie Thompson
Associate
E: charlie.thompson@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Sarah Verrecchia
Associate
E: sarah.verrecchia@harbottle.com
T: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Our fees for representing an employer or employee in relation to a claim made in the Employment Tribunal for Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal are estimated fees and are based on our experience of the likely cost for a claim by one employee against one employer where the hearing is unlikely to last for more than one day. We expect our fee for such an Unfair Dismissal case to be £25000 plus a barristers fee. A wrongful dismissal claim is likely to costs £15000 plus a barristers fee. These fees are subject to VAT.
Wrongful dismissal claims arise where an employee argues that the dismissal has breached their contract of employment and the sum claimed will usually relate only to pay due in respect of the notice period. An Unfair Dismissal claim gives rise to the possibility of compensation, in addition to notice pay, which is capped at either one year’s pay , or £83,682 if one year’s pay would be more than that sum, together with a ‘basic award’ of compensation. The basic award is calculated by reference to a week’s pay, age and length of service. There is a cap on the weekly pay taken into account for this award, currently £508.
The capped amounts are updated each year by the Government, usually in April.
The compensation which can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal for a wrongful Dismissal Claim is limited to £25,000.
We will agree a scope of work with you and that will tell you if we expect the fee to be higher, based on the facts of your particular case.
Further information on our fees, third party costs, taxes and the stages involved in bringing or defending an Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal claim in the Employment/tribunal can be found here.
How long will my matter take?
An Employment Tribunal claim will typically take between four to 12 months to conclude. Some tribunals have longer waiting lists for hearings than others.
Who will deal with my matter?
The solicitors in the department are in the ‘Our team’ tab above. The solicitors in the department are all very experienced in dealing with Employment Law matters. The team spend 90% or more of their time dealing with Employment Law.
In each case, associate and senior associate solicitors will be supervised by one of the partners.
