How to Get Employment Tribunal Help in England and Wales: Your Options Compared
This guide covers England and Wales. It is general information, not legal advice.
If you are facing a problem at work in England or Wales and thinking about an employment tribunal, you do not have to choose between paying thousands for a solicitor and going it completely alone. There are several options in between, and the right one depends on your case.
This guide assumes you are at or near the point of needing help with a claim. If you have not yet tried to resolve the problem internally, it is usually worth starting there first - our guide on what to do before making a tribunal claim covers the grievance, appeal and ACAS steps that normally come before this stage.
The four main options at a glance
_Comparison correct as of June 2026. Aricase is independent and unaffiliated with the other providers named below; details describe each service's general model and may change - check each provider directly._
| Option | What it is | Cost model | Who checks your work | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment solicitor | Full advice and representation from a qualified, regulated lawyer who acts for you | Usually charged by the hour, or sometimes a fixed fee | Your solicitor, a regulated professional | Complex, contested or high-value claims where you want a professional to run it for you |
| No-win-no-fee solicitor | A solicitor who takes an agreed percentage of your compensation if you win, and little or nothing if you lose | A success fee (a percentage of any award), set by agreement | Your solicitor, a regulated professional | Strong, higher-value claims where you cannot fund legal fees up front |
| Representing yourself | Running your own claim using free public resources (GOV.UK, ACAS, Citizens Advice) | Free - there is currently no fee to lodge a tribunal claim | No one - you check your own work | Confident claimants with simpler claims who are comfortable with deadlines and paperwork |
| Self-serve case-building tools | Software, some using AI and some offering optional human help, that guides you through preparing your own case. Brands in or around this space include Aricase and Valla, and marketplaces such as Lawhive that connect you to regulated solicitors for fixed-fee tasks | Typically a monthly subscription; marketplaces instead charge a fixed fee per task | Varies by provider - some include human review, some do not; check each one | People who want structure and guidance without the cost of full representation - check each provider's jurisdiction and what is included |
Instructing an employment solicitor
A solicitor gives you advice specific to your situation and can represent you throughout. It is the most hands-off option for you and the most expensive: many employment cases run to thousands of pounds in fees. It tends to make most sense for complex, contested or high-value claims. See our guide to employment solicitor costs for what to expect.
No-win-no-fee
Some solicitors take employment cases on a "no win, no fee" basis, taking a percentage of your compensation if you succeed. This removes the up-front cost but reduces what you keep if you win, and firms are selective - they tend to take only stronger, higher-value claims.
Representing yourself
You have the right to represent yourself at an employment tribunal, and many people do. The tribunal process is designed to be more accessible than the civil courts. It is free to lodge a claim, and GOV.UK, ACAS and Citizens Advice publish substantial free guidance. The trade-off is that you carry the work and the responsibility for getting it right - the tribunal without a solicitor guide covers what that involves.
Self-serve case-building tools
A newer option sits between full representation and going it alone: tools that guide you through building your own case. They vary - some focus on document templates, some add AI assistance, and some include an element of human help - so it is worth checking each one's jurisdiction, what is included, and how it charges.
Where Aricase fits
Aricase is an AI case-building platform for employment tribunal claims in England and Wales. It guides you through understanding your claim, gathering evidence and preparing your documents step by step, and a human reviewer checks your case file before you act. It is AI case-building plus a human quality check - not legal representation or legal advice, and it cannot represent you at a hearing. For many people who cannot afford a solicitor but need more than a generic guide, it is built for exactly that gap. You can check your eligibility and get started for free.
So which should you choose?
There is no single right answer - it depends on the complexity and value of your claim, your budget, and how much you want to handle yourself. As a rough guide: the more complex or high-value the claim, the stronger the case for professional representation; the simpler and lower-value it is, the more realistic it is to self-represent, with or without a tool to give you structure.
Sources used in this guide
- GOV.UK: Make a claim to an employment tribunal
- GOV.UK: Employment tribunals overview
- ACAS: Going to an employment tribunal
- Citizens Advice: Taking a problem to an employment tribunal
Links to legislation.gov.uk, gov.uk, acas.org.uk and bills.parliament.uk are official sources. Always check the current version on the source site before relying on a specific point.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a solicitor to make an employment tribunal claim?
No. You have the right to represent yourself, and many people do - the tribunal process is designed to be more accessible than the civil courts. GOV.UK, ACAS and Citizens Advice publish free guidance, and there is currently no fee to lodge a claim. A solicitor tends to make most sense for complex, contested or high-value claims where you want a professional to run it for you.
How much does a no-win-no-fee employment solicitor take?
Under a no-win-no-fee arrangement the solicitor takes an agreed percentage of your compensation if you win, and little or nothing if you lose. The exact percentage is set out in the agreement before you start, so read it carefully - it reduces what you keep. Firms also tend to be selective, taking mainly stronger, higher-value claims.
Is there a fee to lodge an employment tribunal claim?
There is currently no fee to lodge a claim at an employment tribunal in England and Wales. Tribunal fees were abolished in 2017 and have not been reintroduced. This is one reason self-representation is realistic for many people, though you may still face other costs such as time off work.
What is the difference between an employment solicitor and a case-building tool?
A solicitor gives you legal advice specific to your situation and can represent you throughout, usually at the highest cost. A self-serve case-building tool instead guides you through preparing your own case - it is structured help with the work, not legal representation or advice, and it cannot represent you at a hearing. Aricase sits in this second group, adding a human quality check before you act.
Not sure which option fits your situation?
Aricase helps you understand your claim and build your case step by step - with a human quality check before you act. Check your eligibility for free.
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