Fees - Spires Legal Solicitors Oxford

Fees

How we charge

We charge for the work we do in a number of ways:

1:
You pay us a fixed amount

1.2
You pay us according to time spent and we provide an estimate of the likely amount of our fees

1.3
You pay us only if your matter is successful based on time spent at our usual rates or on court fixed rates.1.3

1.4
You pay us only if your matter is successful based on a percentage of any award in your favour;

1.5
You pay a discounted rate and a higher rate only if your matter is successful

1.6
Other funding sources such as legal expense insurance, trade union membership or crowd funding

We will always discuss ways of funding your case and likely costs involved.

1 Legal costs

1.2 Our charges – fixed price

1.3 Our charges – hourly rate

1.4 Expenses

1.5 Costs you may have to pay another party

2 No-win-no-fee

3 Other funding methods

4 Likely timescale and key stages

1 Legal costs

1.2 Our charges – fixed price

1.3 Our charges – hourly rate

1.4 Expenses

1.5 Costs you may have to pay another party

2 No-win-no-fee

3 Other funding methods

4 Likely timescale and key stages

Our team

Our team has over twenty years of experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to dispute resolution, commercial work and employment.

For details of the members of the team who may work on your matter, please click here. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by [identify the individual who will supervise the work and state their experience and qualifications].

Complaints

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided you should inform us immediately so we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. ]If you would like to make a formal complaint, you can read our full complaints procedure [link to your process]. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.

Regulatory information

Spires Legal Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA registration number is 654177.

Pricing – Employment

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal

Simple case: £3,000 – £7,500 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

Medium complexity case: £7,500 – £15,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

High complexity case: £15,000 – £50,000 (excluding VAT, charged at 20%)

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

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing which ranges from of £1,000 – £3,000 per day (excluding VAT, charged at 20%). We may engage a barrister to attend a hearing on your behalf (see below). Generally, we would allow 1 – 10 days depending on the complexity of your case.

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 £1,000 to £3,000 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 up to 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6-9 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.

Pricing – Debt Claims

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 (incl. VAT)	Total
Up to £5,000	£205 or less	£500 (XVAT)	£X
£5,001 – £10,000	£455	£750 (XVAT)	£X
£10,001 – £50,000	5% value of the claim	£1,000 (or 5% value of the claim)	£X

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

The VAT element 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
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 Judgment in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
If payment is not received within 28 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs

Matters usually take x-x 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.