Our fees

From 6 December 2018, new rules require us to provide a range of prices for certain services.

At LCS, we are well known for:

The quality of our work and our reputation for solving complex issues which often require innovative solutions and the attention of partners to client matters.

We strive for excellence in our work and, as such, we are not likely to be the cheapest law firm in relation to the services we provide, but we are also not the most expensive.

The new rules require us to provide you with a range of prices and linked information, including hourly rates, for our tribunal work for employers and employees in relation to wrongful and unfair dismissal claims and immigration applications.

Our hourly rates range between £250 - 500 per hour excluding VAT (which is 20%). The quotes below are based on an hourly rate of £500 per hour excluding VAT.

The details are available at the below links.

Unfair or wrongful dismissal claims

Immigration applications

Important

The costs below are indicative and all exclude VAT. This information is not to be treated as a quote or estimate specific to your matter. If you would like to instruct us, please get in touch, and we will be able to provide tailored cost information for you.

Unfair or wrongful dismissal claims

We are experienced in all types of Employment Tribunal claims, from straightforward unfair and wrongful dismissal claims (for which price indications are below) to complex, high-value discrimination and whistleblowing claims.

Work is performed by our partners Jessica Learmond-Criqui and Jeremy Sokel and their biographies can be read at each of these links.

Our fees

The likely range of costs (excluding VAT) below relates to the work we undertake representing employers or employees in the context of claims for unfair dismissal and/ or wrongful dismissal.

We also highlight the factors which are likely to result in the case falling into the high complexity category and so incurring fees at the higher end of the range or, in the case of work which goes beyond unfair or wrongful dismissal claim work, falling outside the ranges provided.

• Simple case - £10,000 to £30,000
• Medium complexity case - £25,000 to £50,000
• High complexity case - £30,000 - £100,000

The factors that tend to make a case more complex and therefore more expensive include:

the facts of the case;
the number of documents to be considered at the outset to determine the merits of the case;
there being a large number of witnesses;
the nature and extent of the disclosure process (involving each party searching for, listing and disclosing to the other party/ies every document that is relevant to the claim) entailing a large volume of documents and / or documents in multiple formats or from multiple sources (e.g. paper and computer records, telephone logs and emails);
it being necessary to submit applications to amend claims or to respond to applications to amend claims;
defending claims that are brought by litigants in person (i.e. someone who does not have their own legal representation);
making or defending a costs application;
making or defending applications before the Employment Tribunal about how the litigation is being conducted such as an application for further and better particulars (where, in acting for an employer, a claim form has provided insufficient detail of the allegations made) or for an unless order (an application for the other party's claim or response to be struck out if it fails to comply with a specific order of the Tribunal);
complex preliminary issues, such as where the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties) or if a medical report is required;
the claim being an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if the claimant is dismissed after blowing the whistle;
the claim including allegations of discrimination or being combined with other claims;
the claim involving judicial mediation;
the likely length of any hearings;
the need for expert evidence such as medical report, actuarial pension report, or employment report.
the way the Claimant and the Respondent elect to approach the litigation and whether instructions and documents are received in an orderly and/or timely way and/or whether advice is followed;
for multi-day hearings in particular, the level of seniority of counsel instructed.

We normally attend the tribunal hearing in addition to a barrister who we may engage, with your consent, to represent you at tribunal hearings.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, for example, a barrister's fees and/or courier costs. We discuss and agree such fees with you before they are incurred. We request funds on account for specific disbursements which are agreed to be incurred. Such disbursements appear on your invoice.

Fee rates for barristers are set by their chambers and they differ depending on the experience of the barrister used, the complexity of the case and the number of days estimated for the hearings. We are not responsible for setting Counsel fee rates and provide the following indicative range of the fee rate, for advocacy, by way of example only (excluding VAT charged at 20%):

Instructing a junior barrister on a two day Hearing

£3,500 to £8,000

Key stages

The ranges of fees set out above cover all work in relation to the following key stages of a straightforward unfair or wrongful dismissal claim:

taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the merits and the possible level of award for or against you if the claim succeeds (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change);
preparing the claim (if an individual) or defence / response to a claim (if an employer);
if an employer, reviewing and advising on the claimant's claim;
advising on and making relevant applications prior to the Tribunal Hearing such as an application for further and better particulars (where a claim form has provided insufficient detail of the allegations made) or for an unless order (where you apply for the other party's claim or response to be struck out if it fails to comply with a specific order of the Tribunal);
preparing or considering a schedule of loss;;
preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing;
preparing for the Tribunal Hearing including instructing Counsel;
advising on the obligation to disclose to the other party all documents relevant to the claim;
exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents;
taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
preparing a bundle of documents;
reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements;
agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and / or cast list;;
reviewing the barrister's skeleton arguments and the skeleton arguments of the other side's barrister (if any);
reviewing any judgement and working with the barrister to advise on the chances of success on appeal, if necessary

For individuals - (bringing claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal)

We will not be able to do so on a contingency fee basis. You may have the benefit of legal expenses insurance that covers part or all of the legal costs of bringing or defending an employment tribunal claim, but you will remain liable for our costs.

The costs of pursuing an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal claim in the employment tribunal for an individual will be the same as for businesses, as will the key stages and factors that determine complexity (see above).

The stages set out above are only an indication of the likely process. It may be that not all stages are required or relevant, in which case fees may fall at the lower end of the ranges given. It may be that you only require our advice in relation to some of the stages and you will otherwise handle the case personally. We can discuss this with you, as needed.

The range of fees set out above will not include:

entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process, including drafting and negotiation of a settlement agreement, where settlement negotiations are successful;
advising on a subject access request (where a claimant requests disclosure of information under data protection laws);
attendance at the Employment Tribunal for any hearing (including preliminary hearings);
advising on any claim other than unfair dismissal and / or wrongful dismissal;
advising in respect of a claim brought in conjunction with a claim for unfair dismissal and / or wrongful dismissal but which is a separate claim (such as for discrimination); or
defending any related claims in the High Court, for example, in respect of uncapped wrongful dismissal claims or making applications in the High Court, for example, for injunctive relief.

Length of claim process

The period of time from taking initial instructions to final resolution of the matter will depend on the stage at which the claim is resolved.

The mandatory pre-claim conciliation period may last for up to a maximum of one month and two weeks. If settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, then the matter should be dealt with in that time frame.

If the claim proceeds to a Tribunal Hearing then the length of the process will depend upon the complexity of the claim, the availability of the relevant Tribunal to hear the claim and how many days the Tribunal Hearing is set for, as determined by the Tribunal. Typically a more straightforward case may take up to nine months and a more complex case may take up to 12 to 18 months.

These time periods are indicative only and depend on the Employment Tribunal in question. We will discuss the timescale of the process with you as the matter progresses.

Immigration applications

We provide services in relation to UK executive immigration and have over 25 years experience in advising and assisting employers and individuals on executive immigration law. The partner in charge of this area is Jessica Learmond-Criqui and her biography can be seen at the link to her name.

We are an SRA authorised firm. As such, the SRA requires us to publish information about our costs for providing immigration services. The information below contains indicative cost estimates and is not geared to the nuances of individual cases or their complexity which may result in higher fees. We would be grateful if you could ensure that you contact us to discuss fees relating to your particular circumstances.

Our fees

Our fees for advising you and representing you on the most common UK executive immigration applications are likely to fall within the ranges (excluding VAT) set out below.

• Tier 1 (Investor) - £10,000 to £45,000
• Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) - £3,000 to £8,000
• Tier 4 (General) and Tier 4 (Child) - £2,500 to £5,000
• Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) - £2,500 to £5,000
• Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) - £2,000 to £5,000
• UK Ancestry - £2,000 to £7,000
• Partner of a person present & settled in UK - £3,000 to £9,000
• Visitor - £2,000 to £6,000
• Overseas Domestic worker - £6,000 to £11,000
• EEA Family Permit - £3,000 to £9,000
• EU Residence Document - £2,000 to £6,000
• Document Certifying Permanent Residence - £4,000 to £9,000
• Indefinite leave to remain - £4,000 to £12,000
• Naturalisation as a British citizen - £5,000 to £10,000
• Registration as a British citizen - £3,000 to £9,000
• UK Passport - £2,000 to £8,000

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs we incur on your behalf which relate to your case and which are payable by third parties. UK Visas and Immigration fees and Home Office fees are the most likely disbursements for this type of matter. We usually ask clients to make payment of their own application fees.

We discuss and agree such fees with you before they are incurred. We request funds on account for specific disbursements which are agreed to be incurred. Such disbursements appear on your invoice.

Such fees include:

UK Visas and Immigration and Home Office fees which can be found on their website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table

UK Visas and Immigration have outsourced some application administrative tasks to private companies who charge their own fees for certain services which include the processing of biometric enrolment, appointment premium lounges. For applications made overseas, services are currently outsourced to either VFS Global or the Teleperformance Company, depending on the country of application.

Details can be found on their websites:
www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html and uk.tlscontact.com

Services for applications made within the UK are provided for by Sopra Steria. Details can be found on their website www.ukvcas.co.uk/additional-services

Court fees and barristers’ fees for appeal or judicial review proceedings. We invoice barristers’ fees to you. The amount of the barrister’s fees will depend on the complexity of the case, the seniority of the barrister and what they are instructed to do. Fees for barristers must be agreed with their clerks for each matter separately so there is no consistency of fees for barristers. However, in our experience, fees for a junior barrister may be in the region of £200 - £250 per hour plus VAT for advice and a fee of £2,500 - £3,500 plus VAT per day in tribunal/court. A senior barrister may be in the region of £500 - £600 per hour plus VAT for advice and a fee of £3,000 - £7000 plus VAT per day in tribunal/court. We would give agree a barrister’s fees with you in advance and alert you to any change in that fee given the complexity of your case.

Where needed, translation agency fees for translating your official documents into English. The amount of agency’s fees will also depend on the complexity and the volume of the documents. We would give you an estimate of this before instructing them on your behalf.

All fees and most disbursements attract VAT at the rate from time to time in force, currently 20%. UK Visas and Immigration and Home Office fees do not usually attract VAT.

Other applications

If the application you wish to submit in relation to executive immigration is not set out above, please contact us and we will be pleased to provide a fee quote and scope of work for the relevant application.

The fees quoted above are for assisting with straightforward applications. We do not charge on a fixed fee basis but on the time taken to complete the work involved. Such time may increase where a matter is complex (for example, if you have previously been refused a visa for the UK or another country) or involves providing a significant amount of strategic advice.

Factors which can make an application more complex and involve our charging fees either at the higher end of the above stated ranges or which exceed them, include:

• the nature of the application;
• the amount and quality of supporting documentation;
• the level of correspondence involved;
• the time taken to assist with the matter;
• the urgency of the matter;
• the likely level of engagement with the Home Office; and
• the need to engage and liaise with third parties.

Multiple applications

The fees quoted above are for assisting with single applications by a 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 quote and scope of work for the relevant applications.

Applications by employers

The fees set out above only cover assisting with applications submitted by individuals. We are also specialists in assisting corporates and other employers with submitting applications, such as:

• Representative of an overseas business applications;
• Tier 2 sponsor licence applications; and
• Reviewing and drafting policies to ensure companies comply with their Tier 2 sponsor licence duties and responsibilities and the law in relation to the prevention of illegal working.

Range of work

The costs above will take into account the work required on your case which may include the following stages for assisting with a UK immigration application, depending on your circumstances.

• A preliminary meeting and/or telephone communication with you, if required, and understanding your case;
• Obtaining information in relation to your particular circumstances and advising on the UK immigration options available;
• Providing detailed advice on the documentation required and the procedure for submitting the relevant application;
• Providing advice on the timelines and likely outcome;
• Meetings, where required;
• Providing draft suggested wording for any documents required in support of the application;
• Drafting the relevant application form;.
• Providing a covering letter in support of the application (if required);
• Assisting you in 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;
• Attending appointments with you if required;
• 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 above work 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 quote for this work.

Application timings

The timing of preparation of your application depends on the speed with which you can gather documents and respond to information requested by us. In our experience, the preparation of applications can take between 3 to 6 weeks.

Typical Home Office processing times from the date of submission of a straightforward application are as follows:

Overseas

Between 1 and 15 working days to process applications for temporary immigration permission submitted overseas, depending on the complexity of the application and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.
Between 15 and 30 working days to process applications for settlement submitted overseas, depending on the complexity of the application and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.

In-country

Between 1 day to 6 months (and longer in some case) to process applications submitted in the UK, depending on the type of application, its complexity and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.