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Price transparency

The Bar Standards Board, the body that regulates barristers, requires all barristers to be open about price and service, so that you have the information you need to make an informed choice. I am committed to being as open as I can about the likely cost of working with me, as early as possible.

How fees are set

The cost of instructing me varies with the work you need. A matter may be straightforward or complex. It may involve a large or a modest volume of documents. It may raise difficult legal questions, or well-settled ones. And the value and importance of what is at stake will differ from case to case. All of that affects the fee.

It is not always possible to give complete certainty about cost at the outset, but I aim for the maximum openness from the start. Where I can, I will agree a fixed fee up front, so you know the cost before you commit.

Getting a quote

For a quotation, email me at enquiries@michaelsalter.net with a short outline of the work. I will confirm the fee before any work begins.

VAT

I am registered for VAT under number GB 820395736. Every fee I quote is exclusive of VAT. VAT is charged in addition, at the rate in force when the fee is invoiced, currently 20 per cent.

Other costs you may have to pay

My fee covers my own work. Where a case takes me away from London I also charge my expenses, which are the actual costs and not a mark-up:

• Train travel.
• Accommodation, where the hearing is far enough away or starts early enough to need it.
• Subsistence.
• Other expenses related to the case, such as parking or a taxi where there is no practical alternative.

Depending on your case there may also be costs that are nothing to do with me and are paid to somebody else. The commonest are an expert’s fee, if your case needs expert evidence, and an interpreter. Experts and interpreters set their own fees and they vary widely. If you are preparing the hearing bundle yourself, the cost of copying and delivering it is yours too.

There is no fee to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal.

Where I expect any expense to arise I tell you before you commit, with the figure or, where it can only be estimated, a range. Nothing is added to your bill that you have not been told about first.