Our legal fees are calculated by reference, amongst other matters, to the total time spent on a case and the hourly rates of the members of the team who deal with it. These are as follows:

• Partners – £267  per hour
• Solicitors – £200 per hour
• Paralegals – £121 per hour

Please note that these rates do not include VAT. VAT is applied at the rate of 20% on our fees and, where applicable, disbursements.

The amount of work involved in each case will depend on its specific circumstances so we are not able to provide a precise estimate of the overall costs of bringing or defending a case on this page. We will provide an estimate of the likely overall costs to all clients once we have sufficient further information about the specific circumstances of their case. But as a general guide, the overall costs of bringing  a claim in a court could be

SIMPLE CASE: £1,500 TO £2,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

MEDIUM COMPLEXITY CASE: £3,000 TO £7,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

HIGH COMPLEXITY CASE: UPWARDS OF £10,000 (EXCLUDING VAT)

OVERALL COSTS

Please note that the overall costs of each type of case may end up being higher or lower than the range of figures given above. The overall costs involved will depend on a number of factors such as:

• the number of documents involved;
• the number of documents required to be prepared
• the time needed to identify the relevant documents;
• the number of witnesses to be called;
• the length and number of the hearing ; and
• the seniority of the barrister required to present the case effectively, which in turn depends on the complexity of the case.

OTHER FACTORS

Other factors that could make a case more complex include by way of example:

• the necessity to make or defend applications to amend a statement or response or to provide further information about an existing case;
• the fact that it involves allegations about sexual harrasment
• the fact that the case requires more than one hearing, such as case management hearings and/or preliminary hearings 
• Interim application

EXPERT WITNESS

In some cases it may be necessary to use the services of an expert witness, for example to provide medical evidence. The costs of instructing the expert are an example of an expense that you would have to meet in addition to our legal fees. An expert’s costs will vary according to the complexity of the report they are asked to prepare and how involved they become in the case:

• a short letter or report that is not challenged by the other side in the dispute might cost as little as £300;
• a more complex report that has taken time to prepare might cost in the region of £2,000 – £5,000, particularly if there is more than one expert in the case and there is discussion between them with a view to reducing areas of disagreement.

BARRISTERS’ FEES

Barristers’ fees will be treated in the same way. We will negotiate the fees of the barrister for you once it has been decided that a barrister needs to be involved in the case. Barristers’ fees depend on the complexity of the task given to them and their experience and expertise. Barristers will charge VAT in addition to the quoted fee. By way of example:

• an appearance by a junior barrister at a short preliminary hearing (one to two hours) might cost in the region of £500;
• at the other end of the spectrum a senior barrister may charge upwards of £1500.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR A CASE TO REACH A HEARING?

The length of time required to resolve a housing matter depends on many factors and we will of course keep you informed throughout the preparation of a case about how long the matter is likely to take to reach a conclusion.

SIMPLE CASE: 6 Months – 1 Year

MEDIUM TO COMPLEX: 1- 2 years

LEGAL AID IS AVAILABLE FOR ELIGIBLE HOUSING MATTERS.