Civil Litigation Costs Information
Business to Business Debt that is undisputed
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
Debt value | Court fee | Our fee |
---|---|---|
Up to £5,000 | Up to £205 | £500 (plus VAT) |
£5,001 - £10,000 | £455 | £700 (plus VAT) |
£10,001 - £100,000 | 5% value of the claim | £1,000 (plus VAT) |
Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:-
- Court fees for issuing a claim range from £35 for a £300 claim to £5,000 for a £100,000 claim. This is something that we will need to advise you upon at the outset of our instruction. Court fees are usually recoverable should a judgment be successfully obtained.
- Although some legal fees can be recovered upon a successful claim, the amount that can be recovered from the debtor are subject to limits fixed by the Court. It is therefore best to assume that the majority of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
- Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
- The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.
Our fee includes:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
- Undertaking appropriate searches
- Sending a letter before action
- Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
- Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
- When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
- If payment is not received, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
Matters usually take 2 to 20 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.
Employment Claims
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal
- Simple case: £5,000 to £10,000 (excluding VAT)
- Medium complexity case: £10,000.00 to £20,000 (excluding VAT)
- High complexity case: £30,000 to £50,000 or more(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
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- 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
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
Disbursements
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.
Counsel’s fees estimated between £750 to £2,000 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) 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 stages above 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 on your individual needs.
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, your case is likely to take 4-10 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 9 to 12 months. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.