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Employment law solicitors

Employment individuals overview - intro

Our employment law solicitors pride themselves on providing expert advice to employees and individuals to resolve all types of employment and discrimination issues. For advice on any kind of dispute, please call our legal advisers on 01616 966 229. Our employment law specialists advise clients nationally from our offices in Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, St Helens and London.

We have specialist employment and discrimination solicitors recommended in their field who can provide advice to employees on: unfair dismissal, discrimination, redundancyTUPE, equal pay and settlement agreements.

Our discrimination solicitors can also provide expert advice on all discrimination claims raised against other organisations which include civil claims against public bodies, service providers and private associations which can be brought within the civil courts. 

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Funding your employment law or discrimination claim

There are several ways in which we can help you look to resolve a dispute with your employer or pursue a claim against an organisation in the employment tribunal or civil court. This can be achieved in one of the following ways:

We are one of a handful of firms nationally to advise employees and individuals on all areas of employment and discrimination law whilst offering affordable access to justice.

Employment law & discrimination - areas of specialism

Our specialist employment solicitors are held in the highest regard by the Legal 500. 

  • Winners of

    Employment Law Team of the Year at the Manchester Legal Awards

  • In the last 2 years

    We have helped 2,000 clients with settlement agreements

  • In the last 2 years

    we have given 50-75 hours on a pro bono basis as part of The Business Growth Hub

Employment law - funding options

No win no fee

We offer no win no fee assistance on a case by case basis, which means that we need to assess your particular case and circumstances.

If you would like to have your situation assessed our advisers will find out a little more about your claim before passing this on to our specialist solicitors who will confirm whether or not we can assist you on a no win no fee basis.

If we can assist you on a no win no fee basis, we will guide you through the ACAS Early Conciliation, tribunal and court process to help you achieve the best resolution of your claim.

Our employment law and discrimination law experts have a strong track record successfully recovering compensation from employers and other defendants when acting on a no win no fee basis. The following examples highlight what we have achieved for our clients.

Case 1 - We acted on behalf of two employees who worked for a national supermarket chain and both were subjected to a campaign of homophobic abuse and discrimination.  Both employees were able to provide significant detail as to the nature and occasions on which they were subject to such discrimination which we were able to present to the tribunal. We acted for these clients on a “no win, no fee” basis meaning there were no up-front legal fees for both clients. We were able to successfully settle the claims for both individuals to compensate them for financial loss and injury to feelings for sums in excess of £15,000.

Case 2 - We acted on behalf of a client in raising a claim for constructive dismissal and disability discrimination claim arising out of a failure to make reasonable adjustments to assist her in the workplace.  We were successful in being able to reinstate an offer that had been withdrawn and increase this offer to the satisfaction of the client. We did all this on a “no win, no fee” basis with the client securing compensation without the worry of paying any fees in advance.

Case 3 - We recently assisted a client with raising a claim for unfair dismissal, after his employer had dismissed him without following any procedure or conducting a disciplinary investigation into the allegations made against him. We subsequently prepared our client for his Final Hearing at the employment tribunal and he was successful in obtaining compensation in excess of £20,000 for the loss that he had suffered as a result of his dismissal. As part of his award, our client was awarded a 25% uplift to his compensation, as the judge decided that his employer had failed to follow ACAS Code of Practice when dismissing him. Our assistance with this client’s case was funded by his legal expenses insurance, which he had access to via his home insurance policy.

Read more case examples on our no win no fee page.

For cases run on this funding basis, there is a maximum deduction of 35% payable to Stephensons which is governed in accordance with the Damages Based Agreement Regulations 2013.

Clients are only liable for our fees in these circumstances:

Where we have acted for you under the agreement and you end the agreement where:

  • You have secured a settlement or obtained a successful judgment;
  • Your opponent admits liability;
  • It is within a week of trial and you end the agreement; or
  • It is deemed that as the client you behaved unreasonably (i.e. rejecting a reasonable offer of settlement or failing to co-operate regarding orders of the tribunal).

Payment on an hourly rate

A solicitor’s hourly rate usually reflects their level of experience and seniority. Paying a solicitor on an hourly rate to deal with the whole of a claim in the tribunal or court is the most traditional method of funding. It secures you comprehensive assistance from day one, but you will need to consider whether the cost of proceeding with a claim outweighs the value of it. Typically speaking, a claim for unfair dismissal will cost at least £3,000 plus VAT and associated costs, such as barristers and tribunal fees. Fees in civil claims can exceed this amount. However, if your claim far exceeds the value of the estimated fees to be incurred and you are prepared to accept the risk that it may not succeed, then this could be a good method of funding for you. You should however be aware that only in a small minority of cases are legal costs recoverable from your opponent in tribunal proceedings.

From the outset we will outline the potential costs that you are likely to incur to take your claim to an Employment Tribunal or County Court. We will fully outline any risks to you and discuss the options available to you to successfully resolve the claim. We believe in transparency of costs and therefore provide regular updates as to the costs you are incurring on a monthly basis.  We believe in taking a pragmatic approach to resolving complaints before proceeding with litigation and therefore will discuss all options available to you.

If you wish to pursue a claim and want to know more about costs of doing so, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01616 966 229 or complete the online enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you to discuss.  

Insurance policy

Everyone who owns a house will have taken out buildings insurance, and as part of this type of cover you may also have the benefit of a legal expenses insurance policy which can sometimes cover legal assistance in the Employment Tribunal or County Court. You can check this by looking at your policy terms, or contacting your insurer directly.

You do have freedom of choice to select the solicitor you would like to instruct, and we have extensive experience of acting for clients with this type of policy. Upon becoming aware of a claim, you should contact your insurance company as soon as you can and advise that you wish to instruct your own solicitor to assist with the claim. We are able to liaise with insurers on your behalf to quickly secure cover.

If you believe you have the benefit of a legal expenses insurance policy, please contact us on 01616 966 229 and we will deal directly with your insurer to arrange cover so that your claim can be dealt with as soon as possible.  

Fixed price employment law advice

If you are experiencing difficulties at work we can provide you with practical advice on the options available to you as well as advice on potential claims. For a fee of £350 plus VAT we can provide an initial face to face meeting to discuss your concerns and identify the steps you can take to resolve these. For that fee we can consider documentation you have received from your employer and following the meeting provide you with a written advice outlining the options available to you. We often continue to advise clients following the meeting by looking to resolve the issue on their behalf.

Fixed fee discrimination law advice

If you believe that you are experiencing discrimination from a service provider, public body or private club or association then we can offer bespoke fixed price services at various stages of any complaint or claim.

Civil legal advice - legal aid

Although the scope of the assistance we are able to offer under the civil legal advice scheme has been greatly reduced as a result of recent legal changes, Stephensons are one of only three providers in the country who can offer help under this scheme. Individuals who have been subjected to unlawful discrimination in the workplace or otherwise and who are in receipt of certain benefits or on a low income can claim free legal advice and help. The first point of contact should be the civil legal advice team, who can assess your financial eligibility and transfer your case through to us. 

How much does representation at an employment tribunal cost?

We can assist under multiple funding options with tribunal representation such as insurance funding, privately funded and on a no win no fee basis in some cases.

Unpaid wages/breach of contract - Average £2,000 plus VAT and disbursements.

Unfair dismissal claim - Average £4,000 plus VAT and disbursements

Discrimination claim - Between £6,000 - £8,000 plus VAT and disbursements

Prices quoted are for representation throughout the full stage of proceedings up to a final hearing. Work would include the draft of initial pleadings, attendance at a preliminary hearing to discuss case management, dealing with the case management orders including; preparation of a schedule of loss; dealing with disclosure of documents/preparation of a bundle and drafting of witness statements. We would also instruct and liaise with a barrister for any final preparations before attending the final hearing.

Disbursements including a barrister attending the hearing can range from £400 - £2,500 plus VAT depending on the length of the hearing and experience of the barrister. Clients will be informed as early as possible about the costs of the barrister.

On average an employment tribunal can take up to 6 months though this depends on each case.

What qualifications do the team hold?

All employment law work is supervised by a qualified solicitor. Specific experience can be seen in the individual staff profiles.

How much is my employment law claim worth?

The value of a claim is dependant on multiple factors, firstly starting with the nature of the claim you are making, your financial losses and potential other factors including compensation for injury to feelings in cases of discrimination. We often look to value cases and assist further on a no win no fee basis, and we also offer fixed fee consultations where clients can obtain further advice regarding the potential value of their claims.

Do I have a strong case?

The strength of a case often depends on the evidence that a client has to support their claims. We often offer no win no fee assistance when we believe a client has a strong case to pursue and we also offer fixed fee consultation options where clients are looking for an initial assessment of the strength of their case.

What should I do next?

If you wish to discuss any of our employment law services in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01616 966 229, you can also complete an online enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you directly.

To browse a range of FAQs related to employment law and discrimination please click the following link: Employment law and discrimination FAQs

  • Employment law advice - Why choose us?

    Being involved in a work place dispute or disagreement can be a very stressful situation, specialist advice from employment law experts at the outset is crucial when considering pursuing a claim against your employer or if you are facing an employment tribunal.

    In this video Head of Employment Law at Stephensons, Philip Richardson talks about the services offered by his team, why he would recommend them and why he believes Stephensons are best placed to advise you if you are facing problems in the workplace. Philip also discusses the various funding options available should you go ahead with a claim against your employer.

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