Prices

Contents:

1. Civil Litigation
2. Criminal Litigation, including motoring offences.
3. Employment Tribunals

1.  Civil litigation

We represent clients in courts and tribunals. We are litigators and advocates. That is our specialty. And we mean any Court!  We work with you online and travel to any court or tribunal in England & Wales.

Additionally, solicitor firms instruct our higher court advocates to advise and speak for their clients in court.

Our focus is access to justice and campaigns on behalf of individuals, non-profits and small to medium sized businesses. Contact us to find out what can be done.

We try to resolve the problem you face with the outcome you need, which may involve advice, and for example negotiation or mediation. 

Initial telephone advice is free.

We actively seek ways of funding your claim, defence, or appeal.  For example, you may have insurance cover as an add on to financial or insurance products. You can instruct your insurer to pay us to act for you. If feasible crowdfunding is an option among other possibilities.

We will advise if Legal Aid is available for your matter.

Many people are not entitled to Legal Aid and have limited financial means. We provide a discretionary means tested Access to Justice Service. If we have resources available and if we can make a difference, we will consider representing clients free of charge or for a reduced fee. 

In civil litigation a ‘no win no fee’ funding arrangement is possible, technically known as a conditional fee.  Put simply this means your fee debt is payable only if you win. The substantial part of your bill is then met by the losing party. However, we charge a ‘success fee’ if you win which is payable by you not the loser.

Payables to third parties and Court fees are always payable up front by you. The Court may waive or reduce court fees on a mean tested basis.

We will explain the detail of your funding arrangement when we sign you up as a client. 

We aim to be competitive, and we work with clients on affordability. Talk to us.

2.  Criminal Litigation, including motoring offences.

Law Tribe is a private client firm. We do not offer Criminal Legal Aid. If you are entitled to Criminal Legal Aid, we can refer you to a provider.

Initial telephone advice is free.

Stephen Meachem deals with Law Tribe’s criminal law matters including those involving motoring offences.

Stephen is a barrister and solicitor. He practices as a solicitor and has since 2010 exercised his higher court rights of audience as a solicitor higher courts advocate in both civil and criminal matters. His focus in criminal law is serious Crown Court and appeal matters.

Mr Meachem’s hourly rate in criminal matters is £373 excluding VAT per hour. Including VAT his hourly rate is £447.60 per hour. 

He agrees fixed fees for Magistrates Court work, which vary depending on case facts. You should also ask about our discretionary means tested Access to Justice Service (refer to section A above).

We will explain the detail of your funding arrangement when we sign you up as a client including an estimate of total cost.

Our fixed fee quote for the provision of advice and representation in  Magistrates Court in relation to summary-only road traffic offences dealt with at a single hearing.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires all solicitors to state their fee structure for this category of criminal defence case. If they offer the service.

Until further notice Stephen Meachem will deal with all such cases, including, if necessary, as advocate in court.  His criminal law experience is stated above, which has, infrequently, included summary only motoring offences of this type.

Initial telephone advice is free.

We will charge a fixed fee of £600 inc. VAT. We will charge nothing more. The fee will cover all work on the matter, except the fees of expert witnesses. 

The fixed fee covers the following:

• All correspondence and communication.
• Obtaining prosecution and defence evidence.
• Drafting any necessary documents.
• Advising generally including whether to plead guilty or not guilty.
• If necessary, appearing as an advocate in the Magistrates Court and advising on the possibility of appeal.

The Police/Crown Prosecution Service or the Court’s initial letter will advise the steps to take including the date of any court hearing. You should contact us immediately. 

In most cases dealt with at a single hearing the matter will be listed within a few weeks of your notice of prosecution. Obtaining any necessary evidence is therefore an urgent matter. If further time is required, an application to adjourn the hearing will be necessary which would take the matter outside this fixed fee quote.

An expert report, sometimes required in such a prosecution, would cost min/max £100-£300 per hour inc. VAT, and take 3/5 hours, so between £300/£1,500 including VAT (if payable). If an expert is required to give evidence, this would cause additional cost of a maximum of 2 hours in Court plus travelling time and travelling costs, so £200/£500 inc. VAT. Expert fees tend to be lower in criminal matters than in civil claims and Employment Tribunals, due to the influence of Legal Aid rates for expert evidence. Most experts charge VAT.

VAT is currently 20%, but the rate of VAT may be changed by Government from time to time. 

3.  Employment Tribunals

Mr Meachem undertakes all Law Tribe’s Employment law matters.

Stephen is a barrister and solicitor. He practices as a solicitor and has since 2010 exercised his higher court rights of audience as a solicitor higher courts advocate in both civil and criminal matters. He takes Employment Tribunals on behalf of employees only. He has done so for many years (as a solicitor since 2010) and, to give some examples, has obtained substantial damages for clients in a race discrimination claim against a central Government department and settlements for sex discrimination with a multinational corporation and with a solicitor firm.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires all solicitors to state their fee structure for Employment Tribunal claims of wrongful and unfair dismissal, if the service is offered. This is stated below.

We will advise if Legal Aid is available for your matter and if you qualify for Legal Aid. If so, we can refer you to a provider.

Initial telephone advice is free.

In most cases we offer clients a ‘damages-based agreement', a No-Win-No-Fee agreement under which we are paid up to 35% of compensation achieved as a deduction from your compensation.  This percentage is agreed with you and varies between 15% and 35% depending on our view of complexity and risk of losing.  Payables to third parties are payable up front by you. 

Sometimes clients wish to fund their claim by claiming on insurance. If so, the hourly rate we are paid will be set by the insurer’s policy on fees. If covered they may pay any third party fees. Nothing would be payable by you to us.

In other cases, client’s wish to pay on an hourly rate basis. Please note that in Employment Tribunals legal costs cannot usually be claimed from the Employer, even if you win.

You will be issued with an estimate of total costs when we sign you up as a client. However, the following is a guide to what you should expect.

Mr Meachem’s hourly rate in Employment Tribunal claims is £373 per hour excluding VAT. Including VAT his hourly rate is £447.60 per hour. 

Guideline estimates for bringing a wrongful dismissal and/or unfair dismissal Employment Tribunal claim:

Initial telephone advice is free.

Straightforward issues: £2,400 - £12,000 including VAT.

Medium complexity issues: £6.000 - £36,000 including VAT.

High complexity issues: £12,000-£60,000 including VAT.

The minimums given above are based on early settlement.

VAT is currently 20%, but the rate of VAT may be changed by Government from time to time. 

These hourly rate charges are impractical for low value unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims. A ‘damages-based agreement may be feasible.

Talk to us. We try to resolve funding difficulties. You should ask about our discretionary means tested Access to Justice Service (refer to section A above).

Factors that could make a claim more complex:

• Allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing.
• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information.
• 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.
• Complex evidence or volume of documentation.
• Use of expert evidence.

It may be necessary to make payments to third parties:

These will always be payable by you up front. The following is a guide to what you should expect:

(a)  Expert witness/s fees: Expert report, attendance as a witness if required): £600 - £13,200 including VAT (if payable). Expert evidence is not always necessary, the most common reason is to prove mental health personal injury and its effects caused by race and sex discrimination. Most experts charge VAT.

(b)  Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses: 

Mr Meachem may require payment of hotel and/or travel costs, to attend Tribunal hearings. Travel costs are case specific, but these will be second class rail fare or car fuel at cost.  Hotel costs: £70 – 150 including VAT per night depending on location.

VAT is currently 20%, but the rate of VAT may be changed by Government from time to time. 

Key stages of an Employment Tribunal:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers, and advising you on the merits of your claim and likely compensation. 
• Pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
• Preparing the claim.
• Reviewing and advising on the employer’s response.
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process.
• Preparing or considering a schedule of your losses.
• Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing.
• Exchanging relevant documents with the employer and agreeing a bundle of relevant documents.
• Applications for disclosure of specific undisclosed documents.
• Applications for disclosure by third parties.
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements, and agreeing their content with witnesses.
• Obtaining expert evidence and considering the employer’s expert evidence.
• Preparing bundles of documents for use at the Final Tribunal Hearing.
• Reviewing and advising on the employer’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues to be decided by the Tribunal, a chronology and/or a list of people mentioned in the Tribunal bundle.
• Preparation for and attendance at the Final Tribunal Hearing.
• Putting your case at the Tribunal.
• Advice on appeal, if necessary.
   

How long will my employment tribunal claim take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends on the stage at which your case is resolved. It may settle in pre-claim conciliation. It could settle pre-claim in weeks but no more than a month in the usual claim.

If your claim proceeds to a Final Tribunal Hearing, it is likely to take 6 -24 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. This will partly depend on the length of the Tribunal's backlog. The anticipated length of the Final Tribunal Hearing is also a factor.

Claims frequently settle during the Tribunal process.