SRA Price & Service Transparency

Under SRA Transparency Rules, we are required to publish price and service information regarding our Immigration and Employment Tribunals services.

CONTENTS

Immigration services

Fees for our legal services 

We have set out below our average fee estimates covering some of the most common types of immigration applications. 

The costs for the various applications can vary depending on your circumstances, including where you currently live, your previous immigration history, whether you have access to the correct documentation in a timely manner and the amount of supporting evidence we have to review and time to prepare the application.

Additional factors you need to consider are the Home Office processing times, whether you will be interviewed and in the event of your application being deferred for consideration by a more senior Caseworker at the Home Office.

The immigration rules in the UK are complex and subject to frequent changes.

 

Value Added Tax (VAT)

VAT is a tax added to most products and services sold by VAT-registered businesses. In the UK, the VAT rate is 20%. The fees listed do not include VAT at 20% which you will incur in most cases.

 

What our services include

When you instruct DavidsonMorris in connection with any of the visa types as listed below, our services include:

  • discussing your circumstances in detail and advising on the Immigration Rules and your eligibility in relation to the relevant application
  • considering whether any other options are available to you
  • completing the application documentation
  • providing you with a comprehensive checklist outlining what documents are required in support of your application
  • reviewing supporting documentation provided by you and advising if additional evidence is required*
  • preparing a covering letter containing legal submissions in support of your application and submitting the application on your behalf
  • preparing further template documentation where required
  • coordinating Home Office application appointments where necessary
  • liaising with the Home Office in relation to your application if the need arises
  • giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.
 

*the time this will take depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain any missing documents. 

Please note that we also offer advice or assistance in relation to appeals. Our appeal services are not included in the fees above but we can discuss fee estimates for this with you separately.

All of the above types of visa applications must be supported by the relevant documentation and presented to the Home Office in accordance with their guidelines. We will ensure that you receive clear instructions on the type and format of the documentation and whether any of the documents need to be attested or translated.

If you need assistance to obtain certain documents, such as a letter from your bank or medical records, we will contact the provider and arrange to obtain the documentation.

 

Fixed Fee Arrangements

In many cases for the visa applications listed below, once we have reviewed your circumstances and satisfied that you are eligible to apply, we charge for our service on a fixed fee arrangement. This means that even if the work on your application takes longer than initially anticipated there will be no additional charges unless there is a significant change to your circumstances or instructions.

 

Our hourly rates

These fees are calculated by reference to our hourly rates which vary depending on the experience of the lawyer carrying out the work. 

Our hourly rate ranges from:

  • £450 +VAT @20% for a Partner
  • £350 +VAT @20% for a Solicitor
  • £220 +VAT @20% for a Paralegal
 

When we commence working with you, you will be advised of the fee estimate at the outset.

 

 

Immigration services: our fixed fee charges

 Immigration service

Fee (excl VAT @20%)*

Naturalisation / Registration as a British citizen£1,500
Applications on behalf EEA nationals and their family members£1,500
Spouse, partners fiancé(e)s or proposed civil partners£2,065
Sole Representatives£7,500
High Potential Individual £1,500 – £2,000
Visitor visas£1,500 – £,2700
Global Talent route£3,500 – £5,000
Graduate Entrepreneurs£5,500
Tier 1 Investors£17,500 – £55,000
Tier 1 Entrepreneurs£12,500 – £35,000
Ancestry visas£1,500
Long residence£2,065
Discretionary leave£3,500+

* Please note that these are standard fees for standard services. Complex applications may be subject to a different fee structure. Please contact us for details or to discuss your specific requirements.

Immigration disbursements

Disbursements are costs that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. 

As with our fees, the below disbursements exclude VAT. We have marked where VAT at 20% may be chargeable but we will confirm whether VAT is payable when you instruct us.

 

Home Office costs

Any Home Office and official fees for submitting the application. These vary depending on the type of application you are making. 

Please see the following link for further information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table

 

Expert witnesses costs 

Fees of independent expert witnesses where required. The cost of the expert witness may also incur VAT at 20%. 

 

Costs for interpreters / translations 

In the event that you will need the services of an interpreter or your documents need to be translated, we will confirm the costs of the service. Interpreter fees which vary depending on what language you speak and the amount of time spent by the interpreter. The cost of the interpreter may also incur VAT at 20%.

 

Translated documents

The Home Office will only accept documents that have been translated by a specialist company, which means you will incur costs for translating documents and you may also incur VAT at 20%.

 

Counsel fees

Counsel’s fees which may be incurred for ad hoc advice on complex issues, or representation either before the Home Office or Tribunal hearings. The average hourly rate for Counsel is £250-£450 per hour depending on the level of experience, knowledge and skill. In most cases Counsels fees also incur VAT at 20%.

 

Travel & accommodation costs 

We are regularly requested to meet our clients in person when they are applying from outside the UK. In addition to our fees, we charge for flight and accommodation expenses.

 

Timescales for immigration services

Once your application has been submitted to the Home Office, our work is to liaise with the Home Officials on your behalf until a decision has been made and your documents returned. Unfortunately for certain types of applications such as Long Residency and Discretionary Leave, the processing times can take 6 – 9 months.

People carrying out our immigration services

As a firm, we have been delivering immigration legal advice for over 18 years.

Our Managing Director, Anne Morris, has over 27 years of experience as an immigration lawyer, and is supported by a team of advisers with different levels of experience.

We have ten members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by either Anne Morris, our MD, or Paolo Barbato, Head of Legal, or Gordana Gligorevic, Immigration Solicitor.

Find out more about our people here.

Employment tribunals service

Fees for our employment tribunal service

Our fees for defending claims brought against your business for unfair and wrongful dismissal are based on three bands, which we will be happy to discuss with you.

We will advise you of the funding options available to you, for example, using any commercial legal expenses insurance your business is covered by.

Every case is different; there are different issues in each case. A case can be heard over one day but depending on the issues in the case and the number of witnesses; a case can be heard over a week or longer in more complex cases. Shorter simple cases will naturally be less expensive than longer more complex cases.  

Simple case defined as: One day hearing with two witnesses attending:

  • Our fees £5,000 – £8,000 plus VAT @20%
  • Barristers’ fees –  £5,000 plus VAT @20%
 

Medium complex case defined as: Two Day hearing and more than two witnesses:

  • Our fees £10,000 – £12,000 plus VAT @20%
  • Barristers Fees – £5,000 for day one plus £1,500 – £2,000 for each additional day plus VAT @20%
 

High complex case defined as: Three or more days hearing and more than two witnesses:

  • Our fees £15,000 – £20,000 plus VAT @20%
  • Barristers Fees –  £7,500 for day one and £1,500 to £2,000 for each additional day plus VAT @20%
 

The information on costs is an estimate of our charges and they are not fixed fees. We assess each case on its own facts and will give a concise estimate for work to be carried out on your behalf.   

Costs information provided here is for guidance purposes only and is not indicative of costs in all similar claims before an Employment Tribunal which depends on the facts of the case, nor does it create any binding costs estimate on the firm. 

Costs will vary depending on the details of each case, and once we assess your case, we provide you with more concise estimates for work. You may have legal expenses insurance cover for the costs of an Employment Tribunal claim.

If your claim were to be settled at any time during the proceedings, this would affect the overall cost to you.

 

Value Added Tax (VAT)

VAT is a tax added to most products and services sold by VAT-registered businesses. In the UK, the VAT rate is 20%. The fees listed do not include VAT at 20% which you will incur in most cases.

 

What is included in our fee

The work that is included in our fee:

  • Review and advise on the Employment Tribunal application form
  • Drafting and filing a Response form with the Employment Tribunal
  • Preliminary Hearing (Case Management)
  • Reviewing Employee’s Schedule of Loss
  • Preparing a List and bundle of documents and disclosing to Employee
  • Review documents received from the Employee
  • Drafting and finalising witness statements
  • Preparing or finalising a bundle of documents for use in the Tribunal hearing with the Employee
  • Instructing a Barrister to represent you in a final hearing at the Employment Tribunal
  • Liaising with you, the Employment Tribunal, the Employee or their representative and ACAS throughout the matter. 
 

What is not included in our fee

The work that is not included in our fee:

  • Initial advice, review of merits of claim
  • Pre action negotiation with Employee
  • ACAS Early Conciliation
  • Remedy Hearing (if not dealt with in the Final Hearing)
  • Interim applications/Preliminary Hearings which arise during the course of the claim either made by you or the Employee or ordered by the Employment Tribunal
  • Re-listing of hearing and work related to a new hearing if a final hearing is postponed by the Employment Tribunal, you or the Employee
  • Advising on or dealing with an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (made by you or the Employee)
  • A second hearing if the first hearing is not completed within the time given by the Tribunal when the parties have to return to the Tribunal to complete the hearing
  • Discrimination claims or claims other than unfair dismissal/wrongful dismissal.

Employment tribunals service: our fees

 Employment service

Price (excl VAT @20%)

 Settlement agreements  From £500 
 Case review From £350 
Hourly rates
  • £295 per hour 
  • £450 per hour rate (partner)

Employment tribunal disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. 

As with our fees, disbursements exclude VAT. We have marked where VAT at 20% may be chargeable but we will confirm whether VAT is payable, and at what rate, when you instruct us.

 

 

Counsel fees

Counsel’s (Barrister’s) fees estimated in the table above (depending on the experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

 

Expert witnesses costs 

Fees of independent expert witnesses where required. The cost of the expert witness may also incur VAT at 20%.

 

Interpreter / Document translation costs

In the event that you will need the services of an interpreter or your documents need to be translated, we will confirm the costs of the service. Interpreter fees which vary depending on what language you speak and the amount of time spent by the interpreter. The cost of the interpreter may also incur VAT at 20%.

 

Translated document costs 

The Court will only accept documents that have been translated by a specialist company, which means you will incur costs for translating documents and you may also incur VAT at 20%.

Timescales for employment tribunals

The time that it takes from initial instructions to the final resolution of a case will depend primarily on the stage at which the case is resolved. 

A one-day Employment Tribunal claim could take 6-12 months from the issue of the claim to a final hearing and is entirely subject to when an Employment Tribunal can hear the case. In the South East and London regions, cases can take at least six months to be listed for hearing.

Other Employment Tribunal regions may vary.

Exclusions & factors which may make an employment tribunal case more complex

  • Multiple day hearings (more than one day)
  • Multiple witnesses
  • Unexpected applications made by either party during the course of the claim e.g. an application to strike out, an application for costs or application for  adjournment of a hearing
  • Hearing is postponed and re-listed at the request of you, the Employee or by the Employment Tribunal
  • Multiple claims for example: an unfair dismissal, sex/race or disability discrimination or breach of contract all brought at the same time
  • The hearing is not completed within the timeframe given by the Employment Tribunal and the parties have to return to the Tribunal for a further hearing
  • Barristers’ fees for advice or representation in the Employment Tribunal will be in addition to our fees.

People carrying our employment tribunal services

Our employment tribunal services are delivered by specialist employment law solicitors.

The team is led by a senior employment law partner who has been working in this area for more than 31 years, supported by 5 solicitors with between 3 and 17 years of experience in the area.

Junior solicitors and members of staff are supported at all times and supervised appropriately to ensure a high quality of advice, regardless of who is working on the case.

In addition, the paralegals provide support to the solicitors and work on day to day aspects of cases. Although they are not legally qualified, they have between 3 and 5 years of experience, have received extensive training and work under the direct supervision of a solicitor with at least 19 years post qualification experience.

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