Service Summary
| Services |
| Employease (‘hereafter referred to as the Firm’) will advise, investigate and represent the client in any workplace dispute or formal workplace hearings and if necessary will assist or represent them with employment tribunal claims (‘hereafter referred to as the provision of claims management services’).
In the course of providing claims management services the Firm will take steps to establish that the client and the respondent(s) have/had a relationship, obtain relevant information to investigate the merits of the claim(s) and, where merit is established, submit a claim to the respondent(s) and/or the employment tribunals on behalf of the client. |
| Client Obligations |
| The client must provide the Firm with all documentation likely to be needed to pursue the claim(s), complete the necessary paperwork required and promptly communicate all relevant information to the Firm throughout the claims process. |
| Service Fees |
| The Firm charges £250 plus VAT (£300 total) per hour for the provision of the claim’s management service under this agreement. Typically, we bill monthly, so you can see our charges and understand what work we have done for you over the month. The size of our fees depends on how fast you and your employer are willing to settle, and if settlement is reached, how much your employer is willing to pay towards legal fees. If no settlement is reached, representation in tribunal would often cost well in excess of £20,000 + VAT. In most circumstances there is no award for costs in the tribunal, so you would not be able to recover our fees. This is the reason why we will always attempt to settle your claim well in advance of the tribunal. The vast majority of our clients will receive a settlement without having to go to a tribunal hearing (though the claim may need to be issued).
Settlements are based on the strength of your claim. We would not encourage you to pursue unmeritorious claims in the employment tribunals. We negotiate settlement agreements and will send the finalised agreement to a solicitor to provide the mandatory advice. We do not pass on the solicitor’s fee to our client. We also settle claims through ACAS. Please find below an illustration of what our service fee would be in various situation: If it takes us five hours to assist you with negotiating a settlement agreement where the initial offer under the agreement is £10,000 and through our negotiations, we obtain £20,000 with a payment of £750 + VAT for legal fees. Our service fees would be £1,250 + VAT, minus £750 + VAT paid to us by your employer, leaving a fee of £500 + VAT which you would owe to us. If we assist you with a grievance and this involves 10 hours of work, our service fee would be £2,500+VAT. If your grievance is resolved through a settlement agreement whereby you receive £25,000 of compensation and the employer pays £500 + VAT towards legal fees, you would pay us £2,000+VAT (£2,400) and you would retain £22,600 of your compensation. If we assist you with lodging a claim in the tribunal and the claim goes to a full hearing, this would typically involve 100 hours of our time, our service fee would be £25,000 + VAT (so £30,000). If you are successful but only recover £15,000 in compensation, you would still owe us £30,000. |
| Right to Cancel |
| The client can cancel this agreement at any time within 14 days of commencement without giving any reason and without incurring any liability as we do not commence work in the 14 day period. Please note, if the matter is urgent and, with your agreement, we have to act within the 14 days period, you will be able to waive your right to cancel, and we will charge you for any work which needs to be done. The client can communicate their cancellation by telephone, in writing, in person or can use the cancellation form accompanying the Firm’s terms of business. |
| Right to Terminate |
| The client can terminate this agreement at any time after the 14 days cancellation period. The Firm will bill you for any time outstanding on the file. |
| Redress Schemes |
| The client does not need to use the Firm’s services to lodge a complaint against the respondent(s) in the employment tribunals. Claims can be brought by individuals and there are some services such as Law Centres or Citizens Advice Bureaux that may be able to assist for free. Clients may have legal insurance covering them for legal costs once the matter has progressed to an employment tribunal. |