This transparency and pricing statement is provided in accordance with the professional rules applicable to Mayer Brown International LLP, which is an SRA authorised and regulated body (SRA number 369822) that provides legal services in England and Wales. Mayer Brown International LLP is part of Mayer Brown, a global services provider comprising associated legal practices and consultancies as described in the Legal Notices section of our website. This statement does not apply to other Mayer Brown Practices or Consultancies, operating from other offices, or to services that may be offered by them.
Employment Tribunal: Costs Information
Pricing
Our pricing for defending claims for unfair dismissal is:
|
Simple case (assuming a two day hearing): |
£40,000 to £60,000 |
|
Medium complexity case (assuming a one week hearing): |
£75,000 to £100,000 |
|
High complexity case (assuming a two week hearing): |
£125,000 to £175,000 |
Factors that could make a case more complex and/or increase costs above the price ranges set out above:
- 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 and/or against multiple respondents
- Making or defending a costs application
- A need for additional hearings to deal with preliminary issues
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If the Tribunal timetable becomes protracted (for example, if a Tribunal hearing is adjourned)
- Time spent on settlement discussions (this may have a material effect on costs)
If it is a dismissal connected to whistleblowing or discrimination, it is likely to be more complex and the above pricing range would need to be reviewed. A claim for wrongful dismissal in the employment tribunal is likely to be priced in the same way as a simple case of unfair dismissal.
The fees above do not include disbursements (see below).
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter, such as photocopying, travel and accommodation costs, or the costs of a barrister (counsel) to conduct the advocacy at any hearings. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Counsel's fees are estimated to be between £1,500 to £7,500 per day (depending on experience of the advocate and the complexity/length of the case) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
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 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 claim or response
- Reviewing and advising on claim or 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 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
- Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking 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, the case is likely to take 4-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to the issue of proceedings and a final hearing, your case is likely to take 6 to 12 months, depending on the nature of the case and Tribunal availability. This is just an estimate and we would of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
Other
The details of the employment lawyers in London who will handle this work for you can be found here. Pricing information in this statement is provided for transparency and comparison purposes but in each case we will confirm the scope of our work and our costs in our engagement letter.
Immigration: Costs Information
Pricing for individuals
Our pricing for the most common UK immigration applications (excluding VAT and disbursements) is:
|
Investor |
£12,500 to £50,000 |
|
Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) |
£15,000 to £50,000 |
|
Innovator / Start Up |
£5,000 to £15,000 |
|
Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) |
£10,000 to £25,000 |
|
Global Talent |
£10,000 to £25,000 |
|
Skilled Worker and Intra-Company Transfer |
£1,000 to £5,000 |
|
Student and Child Student |
£2,500 to £5,000 |
|
T5 (Government Authorised Exchange) |
£2,500 to £5,000 |
|
T5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) |
£2,000 to £5,000 |
|
UK Ancestry |
£2,000 to £7,000 |
|
Partner of a person present and settled in UK |
£6,000 to £12,000 |
|
Visitor |
£2,000 to £6,000 |
|
Overseas Domestic worker |
£6,000 to £11,000 |
|
Indefinite leave to remain |
£4,000 to £12,000 |
|
Naturalisation / registration as a British citizen |
£4,000 to £9,000 |
|
UK Passport |
£2,500 to £9,000 |
These costs are only for assisting with straightforward applications that satisfy the relevant criteria. Factors that could make a case more complex and/or increase costs above the price ranges set out above are:
- the urgency of the matter;
- the amount and quality of supporting documentation;
- failing to provide the information or documents requested in a timely manner;
- the fact that we have to request that the Home Office exercise its discretion as the application does not satisfy the requirements of the relevant category;
- the likely level of engagement with the Home Office;
- the need to engage and liaise with third parties;
- adverse immigration history; and
- any convictions.
If the application you wish to submit is not set out above, please contact us and we will be pleased to provide a fee estimate and scope of work for the relevant application.
The fees above do not include disbursements (see below).
Multiple applications
The fees above are for assisting with single applications by the principal applicant. They do not include the costs of assisting with applications for dependant family members, even if submitted simultaneously. If you would like assistance with submitting a number of applications, for example an application for indefinite leave to remain followed by an application to naturalise as a British citizen, or applications involving dependant family members, please contact us and we will be pleased to provide a fee estimate and scope of work for the relevant applications.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter, such as translation costs, fees for overseas lawyers, or the costs of a barrister (counsel) to conduct the advocacy at any hearings. Other key disbursements may include Home Office application fees; Immigration Health Surcharge, Immigration Skills Charge and priority processing fees.
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a case:
- taking your initial instructions and advising on your immigration options;
- advising on the documents and information required to prepare your application;
- preparing suggested drafts of supporting documents if necessary;
- reviewing the documents and information provided by you and advising if anything further is required;
- preparing your immigration application form and sending this to you for review prior to submission;
- uploading your supporting documents;
- booking a biometric appointment for you if required;
- providing a covering letter in support of the application;
- preparing the bundle of documents which need to be submitted in support of the application;
- booking an appointment for submission of the application and/or submitting the application directly to the Home Office;
- answering any routine queries that the Home Office may have in relation to the application;
- once the application has been approved, reviewing the approval documentation, which may include a passport endorsement and/or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) to ensure that it has been validly issued; and
- providing advice on the next steps.
The stages set out above are an indication of the process followed in most immigration applications and if some of the stages above are not required, the fees will be reduced. The above does not include assisting with challenging a refusal decision if the application is not approved. If you wish to challenge a decision to refuse your application, we would provide a separate fee estimate for this work.
Outbound advisory
We are able to provide advice and assistance with outbound immigration applications for other countries, working on a case by case basis either with an overseas office of Mayer Brown or third party advisers who specialise in the relevant jurisdiction. We will provide a proposed scope of service and a fixed fee on instruction.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the grant of a decision by the Home Office will depend on where you are applying from and on what supporting documents you need to obtain. Whilst the Home Office does provide an indicated processing time for different countries, this is not something within our control and may vary depending on office closures and how busy caseworkers are at the time of application. We will also need to factor in how long it may take you to obtain the required documents. We will advise on timings for your particular circumstances.
Other
The details of the immigration lawyer in London who will handle this work for you can be found here. Pricing information in this statement is provided for transparency and comparison purposes, but in each case we will confirm the scope of our engagement and our costs in our engagement letter.
Complaints information
We are committed to providing a high quality service to our clients. If at any point you become unhappy with our service to you, please contact your matter partner or relationship partner so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.
If you make a formal complaint, it will be investigated by our Regional General Counsel. We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and will endeavour to respond within six weeks of our acknowledgment. We will let you know if we are unable to respond within that timeframe. We hope that we will resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, but if you reman dissatisfied you may, within 14 days, refer the matter to our senior partner for review.
If for any reason the complaint is still unresolved at the end of our complaints procedure, you may be eligible to ask the Legal Ombudsman (“LeO”) to look at your complaint on an independent basis. LeO investigates complaints about service issues with law firms. LeO expects complaints to be made to it within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned, or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must refer your concerns to LeO within six months of our final response to you. More information is available at
www.legalombudsman.org.uk. LeO’s contact details are as follows:
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Write: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
In addition, the Solicitors Regulation Authority provides complaints and redress mechanisms, particularly in relation to complaints concerning the behaviour of solicitors. This could be for conduct like dishonesty, losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, disability or other characteristic. See www.sra.org.uk for more details.