Has your employment tribunal solicitor overcharged you?

Mrs P was unfairly dismissed by her employers and wanted to take her case to the Employment Tribunal on the grounds of victimisation and race discrimination. Having dealt with some initial work for her, Mrs P said that the solicitors had given a verbal estimate of £20,000 as the maximum full cost of the case from that point on, including any barristers’ fees. The solicitors denied that they had given that estimate. The final bill came to nearly £35,000 and ate up every penny of the £34,900 that Mrs.P had been awarded. She was actually worse off as a result of the case.

We were able to take proceedings for the court to assess the solicitors’ bill and after cross examination of the client and the solicitor, the court accepted that an estimate had been given and reduced the solicitors’ bill to just over £29,000. The solicitors were ordered to pay all of the costs, so Mrs.P received nearly £6,000 back “in her hand”.