Transparency Rules
The SRA (under the SRA Transparency Rules) requires authorised firms to publish mandatory pricing information in relation to certain types of legal services.
The services provided by TFC Legal solicitors which are covered by the Transparency Rules are: (a) employment tribunal support to businesses in respect of unfair and wrongful dismissal claims and; (b) the preparation and submission of immigration applications (excluding asylum applications) for individuals and (c) commercial matters.
This page sets out the information required under the Transparency Rules in respect of these types of legal services.
For information about pricing for any other services provided by TFC Legal solicitors, please contact a partner in the relevant practice area.
Employment Tribunal Claims
TFC Legal solicitors provides employment tribunal support to businesses only (not individuals). We have set out below our pricing as required by the SRA’s Transparency Rules for defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal.
Fees
We charge fees based on hourly rates. Our hourly rates typically range from £220 to £480 (excluding VAT) depending upon the complexity of your matter and the level of experience required. Fee ranges for cases of different complexities are set out below:
Simple case: £5,000 – £8,000 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £9,000 – £25,000 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £26,000 – £80,000+ (excluding VAT)
VAT is currently charged at 20%. These figures are very wide and general – we will be able to provide you with a more specific indication of fees after discussion with you of your particular circumstances. Factors that could make a case more complex:
- Factors that increase complexity include: area of law on which the claim is based, number of witnesses, quality of evidence, what proportion of facts are agreed between the parties compared with those that are disputed.
- Whether you wish to defend the matter or seek to settle at an early stage.
- The time sensitivity of your case (do you require this to be dealt with urgently, or are the legal time limits shortly expiring, such that we may have to prioritise it over other clients?).
- How much assistance you require with the preparations for the case, or whether you are able to carry out some of the work in-house.
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
- If concurrent proceedings are brought in the Employment Tribunal and the High / County Court
- The conduct of other parties to the claim
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled or whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear the claim
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if an individual alleges dismissal after blowing the whistle
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
- Allegations that the dismissal is linked to a TUPE transfer
- Having to address complex issues relating to remedy
- Defending a claim linked to a related compliance or regulatory investigation
Disbursements
The above costs represent an indicative fee for TFC Legal solicitors advice only. Disbursements may also be payable. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, counsel’s fees or those of a medical expert (if, for example, questions of disability needed to be addressed). We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Counsel’s fees are estimated between £1,000 to £4,000+ excluding VAT (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing. VAT is currently charged at 20%.
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 a response to the claim
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- Considering and advising you on 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 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
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are provided as an indication only and if some of 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, your case is likely to take two to three weeks.
- Taking initial instructions – 1 to 2 days
- Responding to early conciliation with ACAS -3 to 7 days
- Preparing ET3 – 10 to 28 days
- Reviewing and providing disclosure of documents – 2 to 4 months
- Preparing witness statements – 3 to 6 months
- Attending final hearing – 10 to 26 months
If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to 10 to 26 months (but could take longer if, for example, the hearing needs to be postponed because of witness availability or if the Claimant is unwell). This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale as the matter progresses.
Our team
All members of our Employment Law Group are qualified to advise on defending employment law claims both in the Employment Tribunal and the High Court. All litigation is supervised by one of the senior members of the Employment Law Group whose details can be found below.
Overall supervision Terry Fujioka
Consultant Nigel Jackson
Immigration – advice and representation in respect of immigration applications
TFC Legal solicitors provides advice and representation to individuals in respect of Skilled Worker and ICT immigration applications. We do not provide immigration advice on asylum and student applications. We have set out below our pricing as required by the SRA’s Transparency Rules in relation to the same.
Fees
We charge a fixed fee-based application. Under normal circumstances our fee is £1,350 per applications (excluding VAT). Our Fees attract VAT and it is currently 20%.
Key Stages
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- analysing supporting documents and advising on whether you meet the criteria
- if you do not fulfil certain criteria, consider this can be overcome
- preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf
- providing detailed instructions for biometric appointment including what documents to submit and a cover letter if necessary
- when a Home Office interview is required, rendering clear advice on what is required
The stages set out above are provided as an indication only and if some of stages above are not required.
Disbursements
The above costs represent an indicative fee for TFC Legal solicitors only. Disbursements may also be payable. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The following disbursements may be incurred for an investor application:
- Visa application fee for main application: £1623
- Visa application fee for each dependant: £1623
- UK Visas & immigration Priority Service fee: £220
- NHS Surcharge: £624 per year for each year of stay per applicant and partner and £479 per year for each year of stay per child
Disbursements do not usually attract VAT.
Should the disbursements attract VAT, VAT is currently 20%.
How long will my application take?
We will normally be able to submit this type of application within three days of you instructing us and supplying necessary information. But we will let you know at the earliest
All applications are not usually to vary, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.
Our team
TFC Legal solicitors Immigration team has following members advise upon all areas of UK immigration work.
Overall supervision Terry Fujioka
Consultant Nigel Jackson
Assistant Sally Fukushima
Commercial Law
Debt Recovery for business for claims of up to £100,000
Fees
Where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice, we will agree an initial fee with you for reviewing any documents and correspondence supplied by you and writing an initial letter before action, claiming payment of the debt on your behalf. Depending on the amount of documentation which you provide, our fee is likely to be in the region of £500 to £1,000 (excluding VAT). Our fees attract VAT and it is currently 20%.
Should it become necessary to issue proceedings for recovery of an undisputed debt, the following Court fees will apply:
| Fee payable | |||||
| Value of your claim | Court issued claim | Filed via SDT/MCOL | |||
| Up to | £300 | £35 | £25 | ||
| Greater than | £300 | but no more than | £500 | £50 | £35 |
| Greater than | £500 | but no more than | £1,000 | £70 | £60 |
| Greater than | £1,000 | but no more than | £1,500 | £80 | £70 |
| Greater than | £1,500 | but no more than | £3,000 | £115 | £105 |
| Greater than | £3,000 | but no more than | £5,000 | £205 | £185 |
| Greater than | £5,000 | but no more than | £10,000 | £455 | £410 |
| Greater than | £10,000 | but no more than | £15,000 | 5% of the value of the claim | 4.5% of the value of the claim |
| Greater than | £15,000 | but no more than | £50,000 | ||
| Greater than | £50,000 | but no more than | £100,000 | ||
| Greater than | £100,000 | but no more than | £150,000 | N/A | |
| Greater than | £150,000 | but no more than | £200,000 | N/A | |
| Greater than | £200,000 | £10,000 | N/A | ||
If you wish to proceed with a claim, you should note that:
- the VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor; and
- interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, which means that a higher Court fee may be payable.
We will charge between £500 and £750 (excluding VAT) to draft simple short-form Court proceedings claiming payment of an undisputed invoice.
If the other party fails to acknowledge service of the proceedings or file a defence to the claim, we will charge £350 (excluding VAT) to request a default judgment and, on receipt of the default judgment, to write to the other party again, demanding payment.
A default judgment will only include Court fees and fixed solicitor’s costs (as provided for by the Civil Procedure Rules). You will not be able to recover the fees which you pay us.
If the other party fails to pay the judgment debt, we will (if so requested) write to you setting out the various ways in which you may be able to enforce payment of the judgment debt. The fees set out above do not include the cost of any further action which may be required to enforce payment of the judgment debt.
If the other party disputes/defends your claim and the matter becomes contested, we will discuss any further work which may be required and provide you with a revised estimate as to the costs of such further work.
Our fees are time-based and are calculated by reference to hourly charging rates (which will depend on the seniority of the fee earners working on your case). We will give you as detailed costs estimate as we can, once we know what issues have been raised and have a better idea of how long it is likely to take to resolve the matter for you.
Our fees are: –
£340 per hour Partner
£300 per hour Consultant
£280 per hour Associate
£200 per hour Assistant
There fees are exclusive of VAT. The fees attract currently 20% VAT.
Disbursements:
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, counsel’s fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Court fees will be required if a claim needs to be made. The court fees vary according to the size of the claim, and in addition to the claim fee there may be fees required for applications, hearings, etc.
The court fees are subject to amendment from time to time, and can be viewed at the HM Courts & Tribunals website: https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are
Court fees are not currently subject to VAT.
Disbursements also include travelling to and from courts, copying costs (where significant copying is required to be conducted externally), special delivery postage and courier costs for letters and packages. In addition, depending on the complexity of the case, it may be necessary to instruct an external barrister to assist with the case and/or conduct advocacy. Barrister fees will vary according to the seniority of the barrister and the length of the hearing. Disbursements other than court fees will be subject to VAT. VAT is currently at 20%.
Key stages:
As our work is hourly rate, all services are included, such as –
- 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 to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing a response to the claim
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- Considering and advising you on 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 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
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
In addition to our fees, there will be court fees. Depending on the circumstances of your case, there is a risk that you may have to pay some or all of your opponent’s costs (normally if you are unsuccessful, but this may also arise during a court process prior to a final outcome).
The overall fee we charge will vary according to:
- The complexity of your case (is it clear and unarguable that you are owed the debt, or does your opponent have an argument that it should not be paid?)
- The time sensitivity of your case (do you require this to be dealt with urgently, or are the legal time limits shortly expiring, such that we may have to prioritise it over other clients?)
- Is the matter defended or admitted (will we be required to create legal arguments against your opponent, and will it be necessary to make multiple applications to court and attend one or more court hearings?)
- How much assistance do you require with the preparations, or are you able to carry out some of the work in-house
Any services not included in the price that might reasonably be expected to be included:
As our work is hourly rate, there are no services not included
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 two to three weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 20 – 39 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale as the matter progresses.
Our team
TFC Legal solicitors Immigration team has following members advise upon all areas of UK immigration work.
Overall supervision Terry Fujioka
Consultant Nigel Jackson
Assistant Naho Morita
If there is no acknowledgement of service or defence filed, it may be possible to apply for judgment in default. If a defence is received, court hearings may be necessary and the timescale will be entirely dependent on the court’s availability at the time, and on the complexity of your matter. More complex cases, for example with multiple witnesses, will require more preparation time and longer hearing dates. A “fast-track” trial may be listed for trial approximately 35 weeks later. Complex multi-track cases may take significantly longer.