Our Fees

Fee Structure of Contingency Fees – No Win- No Fee

The majority of our cases are undertaken under a contingency or “no win no fee” basis.   In simple terms this means that if we do any work for you and we are not able to achieve a successful result (ie you end up in the same position as you were in at the stage our company became involved in the case) – then there will be no charge for the services we have provided. However if we do any work for you and do achieve a successful result (i.e. you end up in a better position than you were in at the stage our company became involved in the case) – then there will be a charge for the services we have provided.

Non Contingency Fees (Time and Attendance fees)

We also offer non contingency fee services such as representation at disciplinary or investigation meetings or for situations where a financial outcome is not being sought and our fee for this service is $250 + GST per hour.

Cost Structure of Fees

1. For “no win – no fee” cases that are resolved up to and including mediation level – you will be charged a base fee of $300.00; plus  33% (1/3) of any financial settlement that is achieved up to the first $15,000 and then 15% thereafter being $150 per $1,000 over and above $15,000.
2. The only additional fees that may apply would be in the case of an employer refusing to attend mediation at which point we would have to file your case with the Employment Relations Authority. The application fee required by the Authority is $71.56 (including GST). Employers will, at this point, be directed to mediation.
3. If your case is not resolved during mediation both your advocate and the mediator will discuss taking your case to the Employment Relations Authority. The mediator will work through a risk analysis in relation to your case pointing out the strengths and potential risks; (this is part of the mediator’s role). Your advocate will also provide you with independent advice as to the likelihood of your case being successfully resolved at the Employment Relations Authority enabling you to make an informed decision on whether to proceed to the next stage.
4. On rare occasions during mediation where the employer has made an offer to settle that the advocate representing you thinks is fair and reasonable considering your case and has advised you to accept – if you decline to accept the offer and want to proceed to the Employment Relations Authority, we reserve the right to charge the base fee up front (provided for in Clause 3 e ) of $1,500.00 plus GST to take your case to the Authority.
5. For “no win – no fee” cases that are resolved through an Employment Relations Authority Investigation – you will be charged a base fee of $1500.00; plus⅓ (33.3%) +gst of any financial settlement that is achieved up to the first $15,000 and then 15% thereafter being $150 per $1,000 over and above $15,000.
6. In some cases there may be what is considered an extraordinary amount of work or work that falls outside the usual scope of a case; this could include a large amount of documentation to sift through, gathering and tracking down witness for statements, several overseas calls or travel etc. Work which falls outside the usual scope may be charged on a quoted hourly rate basis. We shall advise you as soon as reasonably practicable, if it becomes necessary for us to provide services outside the agreed scope.    The agreed scope includes (but is not limited to) separate charges for courier fees, photocopying, telephone calls, facsimile charges, postage, forms, etc.  Upon request, we will provide you with a written estimate of the likely amount of the further costs.
   

Any questions about our services or fees?  Call us on 0800 446 669 or email us through our contact form.