We make our pricing structure and our estimate of costs clear at the outset of each case and keep the estimate under review throughout the proceedings.

Given the nature of our work, the majority of our services are charged on an hourly rate basis.

Employment Tribunal claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal

Our standard hourly rates set out below apply to employment tribunal claims. We may agree a different charging arrangement with you on a case-by-case basis.

The amount of work we do (and therefore our costs) in an employment tribunal claim will depend on the type of claim and the circumstances of the case. An important factor is whether there is a linked claim such as discrimination or whistleblowing because these types of additional claims will usually increase the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses who may be required. Another factor that impacts on the likely legal costs is the length of the final hearing, which is determined by the employment tribunal and is based on the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses.

Depending on the complexity of the case, it can usually take between three months and eighteen months (or longer) to prepare an unfair/wrongful dismissal case for a final hearing. Some cases require several preliminary hearings during the months leading up to a final hearing.

A hearing for a straightforward claim such as wrongful dismissal can usually be heard by an employment tribunal within one day. Unfair dismissal hearings often last between two and five days. Cases involving more complicated claims such as discrimination and whistleblowing, or where there are many witnesses, can take three weeks or longer to be heard. The costs of a case, depending on complexity, can range between £10,000 to £100,000 plus VAT should the matter proceed to trial. These costs do not include the cost of challenging or appealing against the employment tribunal’s decisions.

Disbursements (expenses) will include the use of Counsel, where appropriate. Counsel’s fees are negotiated on your behalf and agreed with you. Counsel’s fees vary with their relevant seniority and experience.

Motoring Offences

The costs of a typical case can range between £2,000 to £10,000 plus VAT excluding Disbursements (expenses) which may include the use of Counsel. In more complex cases these costs could increase.

Debt Recovery

The following sets out the costs for our commercial debt recovery work for claims up to the value of £100,000 against debtors located within England and Wales. Costs for debt claims above this value are available on request. The costs below apply where the claim is for unpaid invoices which are not disputed.

If the other party disputes your claim at any point prior to the issue of proceedings, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with a revised costs estimate. Such costs could be based on an hourly rate or other funding arrangement such as a damages-based agreement or a conditional fee agreement, depending on the circumstances of your case.

The first stage is to prepare and send the debtor a Letter Before Action (LBA) setting out the amount of the debt owed, how the debt arises and details of how and when the debt can be paid. The costs of preparing a typical LBA that is fully compliant with the Pre-Action Protocol is usually between £3,000 to £7,500 plus VAT, but this may increase depending on the volume of documents to be reviewed and complexity of the case.

The debtor usually has a minimum of 30 days to respond to an LBA (but this can be extended to up to 90 days in complex cases). If the debtor fails to respond within the required timeframe, then the next stage is to issue legal proceedings.

We issue all debt recovery claims up to the value of £100,000 in the County Court. It will be necessary to prepare a Claim Form and bespoke Particulars of Claim prior to issuing proceedings. We usually undertake this work on an hourly rate basis and our standard hourly rates set out below will apply to your case.

In more complex cases, we usually instruct Counsel to prepare the Particulars of Claim where appropriate. Counsel’s fees are negotiated on your behalf and agreed with you. Counsel’s fees vary with their relevant seniority and experience.

A defendant will have 14 days from receipt of the Claim Form and/or Particulars of Claim in which to respond by filing either an Acknowledgement of Service or a Defence. If an Acknowledgement of Service is filed within 14 days of service of the Particulars of Claim, the defendant then has a further 14 days to file a Defence to the claim. If the defendant fails to file a Defence, you can request the Court to enter judgment against them in default and then proceed to enforce the judgment and recover payment.  Fees for this will depend on the circumstances of the case and will be discussed with you at the stage this course of action becomes relevant. These costs are usually recoverable from the debtor should they then pay up.

Private Client

Wills

Simple Wills are charged at a fixed fee of £300 plus VAT for one person and £500 plus VAT for a couple.

Complex Wills are charged according to our hourly rates below. Complex Wills are those that include trusts, estate planning or care home fees planning; where death is expected to be imminent; where there is a reasonable expectation on our part that the Will may be challenged after your death; where a capacity assessment by a medical professional is required; or where there are many beneficiaries to include (normally more than 15 individuals or charities). A typical complex Will for one person can range between £600 and £900 plus VAT. Typical complex Wills for a couple can range between £1,200 and £1,500 plus VAT

Powers of Attorney and Living Wills

Simple Powers of Attorney and Living Wills are charged at a fixed fee of £250 plus VAT per document. For example, if one person makes a simple Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare and a simple Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs, our costs will be £500 plus VAT. For Lasting Powers of Attorney, there will also be a registration fee of up to £82 per document payable to the Office of the Public Guardian.

Complex Powers of Attorney and Living Wills are charged according to our hourly rates below. Complex Powers of Attorney are those that include tailored written guidance or instructions to the Attorneys; where a capacity assessment by a medical professional is required; or where there is a reasonable expectation on our part that the Power of Attorney or use of it may be challenged. Complex Living Wills are those that include very specific examples of treatment to be given or refused; where death is expected to be imminent; where a capacity assessment by a medical professional is required; or where there is a reasonable expectation on our part that the Living Will may be challenged.

Court of Protection Deputyship applications

Where these are straightforward, we will charge the fixed fee of £950 plus VAT approved by the Court of Protection. In addition, there will be a fee payable to a medical professional for a capacity assessment and there may be other disbursements incurred.

Where these applications are not straightforward, we reserve the right to request an assessment by the Court of Protection of our costs charged at an hourly rate as set out below.

Probate and estate administration

The fees involved in a probate matter vary from case to case and this will depend on the individual circumstances. Some cases are more complex than others. All fees below relate only to uncontested probate matters.

Where Monan Gozzett or any of the partners of the firm are not appointed as an Executor in the Will, we will charge:

  • a fixed fee of 2% of the value of the assets of the estate including aggregable assets such as trusts, plus VAT and disbursements, subject to a minimum charge of £4,000 plus VAT and disbursements; or
  • at the hourly rates set out below plus VAT and disbursements (the average estate administration on an hourly rate basis usually costs between £5,000 and £15,000 plus VAT and disbursements depending on the complexities involved); or
  • at the hourly rates set out below plus fixed percentages to reflect the complexity of the assets involved, being 0.5% of the value of the deceased’s home (before deducting any mortgage) and 1% of the value of the rest of the estate assets including aggregable assets such as trusts, plus VAT and disbursements

Where Monan Gozzett or any of the partners of the firm are appointed as an Executor in the Will, we take on considerable additional responsibilities so in those cases we will charge:

  • a fixed fee of 3% of the value of the assets of the estate including aggregable assets such as trusts, plus VAT and disbursements, subject to a minimum charge of £6,000 plus VAT and disbursements; or
  • at the hourly rates set out below plus VAT and disbursements (the average estate administration on an hourly rate basis usually costs between £7,500 and £20,000 plus VAT and disbursements depending on the complexities involved); or
  • at the hourly rates set out below plus fixed percentages to reflect the complexity of the assets involved, being 0.75% of the value of the deceased’s home (before deducting any mortgage) and 1.5% of the value of the rest of the estate assets including aggregable assets such as trusts, plus VAT and disbursements

Hourly rates will apply to all Estate Planning, Care Home Fees Planning and Trusts matters, and to all other matters that are not charged as fixed fees.

Hourly Rates

Our standard non-discounted hourly rates are set out below. All stated prices are exclusive of VAT.

Partners: £425

Solicitors: £300 - £375

Paralegals: £180

If you require any further information in relation to our pricing structure, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you would like to speak to our expert legal team about this, or any related subject then please contact our team by phone on 0207 936 6329, Email or by completing our Quick Contact Form below.