HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire an employment law solicitor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Check the solicitor's regulator, contact Acas before a claim, and watch the tribunal time limit. Here is how.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an employment law solicitor in five steps

  1. Note the date the problem happenedTribunal time limits run from it, and they are short.
  2. Contact Acas before a tribunal claimIt is required before most claims and pauses the time limit.
  3. Check the solicitor and firmSRA register in England and Wales; the Law Societies elsewhere.
  4. Ask for costs in writingFixed fee for a settlement agreement review, or hourly with an estimate.
  5. Bring your documentsContract, payslips, emails, letters and a timeline.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

The Solicitors Register

Solicitors and firms in England and Wales are regulated by the SRA, and its register shows whether the person and the firm are authorised. Firms offering unfair or wrongful dismissal claims to the public must publish price and service information.

Search the employment law solicitor and the firm on the SRA register. sra.org.uk →

Acas before a tribunal claim

gov.uk says you must tell Acas before making an employment tribunal claim; the time limit is put on hold while Acas helps resolve the dispute. Any solicitor on the SRA register who takes your case should start with this step.

Ask the solicitor to confirm Acas early conciliation has started, or start it yourself. gov.uk →

Tribunal time limits

For problems on or after 1 October 2026 you usually have six months to claim; for problems before that date, three months. The period starts from a set event, such as the end of your job. Missing it can end a claim, whichever solicitor on the register you instruct.

Write down the key date and give it to the employment law solicitor at the first contact. gov.uk →

Law Society of Scotland or Northern Ireland

Outside England and Wales, solicitors are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of Northern Ireland; Northern Ireland also has its own way to make an employment claim.

Use the solicitor search for your nation. lawsoc-ni.org →

VAT

Legal advice is standard-rated, so an employment law solicitor's firm adds 20% to its fees for advice, negotiation and tribunal stages. Registration becomes compulsory once an employment law solicitor's firm has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the firm for the VAT number on the client care letter and for VAT on each stage invoice as a separate line. gov.uk →

“Is this employment law solicitor and the firm regulated?”

A good answer: A register entry you can check, for the right nation.

“What is my time limit for a claim?”

A good answer: A specific date worked out from your facts, and the Acas step explained.

“Is the settlement agreement review a fixed fee, and does my employer pay?”

A good answer: A fixed fee, with any employer contribution explained.

“How strong is my case, honestly?”

A good answer: A frank view of the strengths and weaknesses in writing.

“What will a tribunal claim cost me if it does not settle?”

A good answer: An estimate by stage, including any barrister.

“Who will handle my matter day to day?”

A good answer: A named solicitor and supervisor.

“Could my insurance pay for an employment solicitor?”

A good answer: A check of legal expenses cover on your home insurance.

Getting the quote right

  • Fixed fee or hourly rate with estimated hours
  • Who actually attends to your case: the employment law solicitor named, a trainee or paralegal they supervise, or counsel instructed
  • Stages priced: advice, negotiation, tribunal
  • Barrister and expert costs estimated
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the solicitor's fees for each stage
  • Any employer contribution to settlement advice
  • In the client care letter

Walk away if

  • Not on the register for your nation
  • Ignores the time limit
  • Promises a big settlement
  • No written cost estimate
  • Pressure to sign a settlement agreement fast
  • Cannot name who does the work
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£295
HIGH
£579

What an employment law solicitor costs: £200–£579 per hour

Employment law solicitors charge by the hour or a fixed fee for defined work such as a settlement agreement review; barristers are extra. Employment Law Solicitor price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Employment law solicitors near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. First assessmentFacts, documents and time limits reviewed.
  2. Written adviceYour rights, options and likely outcomes.
  3. Acas and negotiationEarly conciliation and talks with the other side.
  4. Tribunal claimClaim prepared and run if it does not settle.
  5. Settlement or hearingAgreement signed or hearing attended.

Acas early conciliation
The free step with Acas required before most tribunal claims.
Settlement agreement
A legal agreement ending a dispute, usually with a payment.
Employment tribunal
The body that hears workplace claims.
Unfair dismissal
Dismissal without a fair reason or process.
Without prejudice
Talks that cannot usually be shown to the tribunal.
ET1
The form used to start a tribunal claim.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the signed agreement or judgmentWith your notes on payment dates and references.
Check payments arriveSettlement sums and dates as agreed.
Keep the final billMatched against the estimate in the client care letter.
Your reviewA few honest lines about the employment law solicitor help other people decide. If you are unhappy, start the make-it-right step and give them the chance to fix it.

STEP 1Tell the employment law solicitor, in writingWrite down what you expected from the employment law solicitor and what you actually received, and send it. Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the job needed reasonable care and skill; if it lacked them, sections 55 and 56 let you ask for it redone or for a refund of part of the price.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepAny score below four stars opens the make-it-right step: the employment law solicitor hears about the problem first, and we follow it through before the review appears.
STEP 3The ombudsman or your Law SocietyEngland and Wales: the Legal Ombudsman once the firm has answered; misconduct to the SRA. Scotland: the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Northern Ireland: the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Claim the money backA claim against the employment law solicitor can go, without a solicitor, to the small claims track in England and Wales (up to £10,000), simple procedure in Scotland (up to £5,000) or the small claims court in Northern Ireland (up to £5,000).

Hiring an employment law solicitor: questions people ask

Yes: with the SRA in England and Wales, or the Law Society of Scotland or Northern Ireland.

For most claims, yes. Telling Acas is required and puts the time limit on hold.

Usually six months for problems from 1 October 2026, and three months for earlier problems.

Roughly £200–£579 per hour, typically £295. Seniority, London firms and tribunal stages push the hourly rate and the hours up. The employment law solicitor price guide shows what sits behind each figure; type your town above to find employment law solicitors in your area.

Often they contribute; ask the solicitor how much it covers.

Advice takes an hour or two; a tribunal claim can run for many months.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: SolicitorHow to hire: HR ConsultantHow to hire: Family Law SolicitorHow to hire: ParalegalHow to hire: Immigration LawyerHow to hire: Recruitment AgencyHow to hire: Conveyancing SolicitorHow to hire: Wills & ProbateAll 701 hiring guides →

Employment law solicitors near you

Employment law solicitors in LondonEmployment law solicitors in ManchesterEmployment law solicitors in BirminghamEmployment law solicitors in GlasgowEmployment law solicitors in BelfastAll employment law solicitors on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. SRA — the Solicitors Register
  2. gov.uk — make a claim to an employment tribunal: when you can claim
  3. SRA — understanding costs
  4. Law Society of Northern Ireland — finding a solicitor
  5. mygov.scot — using a solicitor
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register