Client Care
How do we charge?
Our guiding principal is 'no hidden' costs or expenses. We want to avoid nasty or unexpected surprises.
Before we accept your instructions we will always discuss and agree with you how we will charge for our services. We will also set an initial and subsequent cost budgets with you so that you will know how much your legal fees are likely to be.
Throughout your case we will keep you informed of the level of costs incurred and estimated future costs. We are also aware that for some clients it will be important to keep under review the level of legal fees against the level of possible compensation to be awarded.
Employee funding options include:
Agreed hourly rates and cost budgets. The hourly rates we offer reflect the experience of the solicitor(s) who will be acting for you and the complexity of your case.
Legal expenses insurance funding. We act for many employee clients who have their legal fees paid for under this type of insurance. It can be an excellent means of funding an employment tribunal claim, but will not normally cover advice and guidance work prior to an actual dismissal or resignation.
Many individuals have this type of insurance as an add on to home contents or car insurance. Most people do not know or remember they have it! To check you should call your insurance broker or insurance company direct and ask.
If you have this type of insurance, please call us to discuss how best to complete the application form for cover. This is essential if you want to appoint Quantrills. Although you should have the right to select a solicitor of your choice, some insurers are not keen to volunteer this information to you. Instead the insurer will want you to let them deal with your case in-house or by a panel solicitor. This approach can be fine but you may not get the same level of advice or service compared to Quantrills. At Quantrills we guarantee that your case will be handled by an experienced and qualified solicitor, not a paralegal or an unqualified case worker.
Payment by the employer. Win or lose at an employment tribunal neither party is normally entitled to recover any legal costs. But invariably, as part of a negotiated settlement the employer or ex-employer will agree to at least pay a contribution towards the legal costs and VAT. In some cases the employer will pay all of these.
Fixed fees. For some of our work we are able to offer a fixed fee. A good example is when we are asked to review and advise on the new terms and conditions of a director's service agreement or a manager's contract of employment.
No win no fee
We do not offer any form of no win no fee arrangement. These do not successfully work in employment law cases, unlike in personal injury work where the availability of insurance policies and cost rules make no win no fee arrangements almost the norm. In our experience an employee client can easily lose out under these arrangements or they prove less than cost effective for us!