Unpaid Wages: Labor Consultant Fees & Cost Consultation Guide
Why Do Victims of Unpaid Wages Start by Searching for “Labor Consultant Fees”?
When wages have not been paid, any additional expense can feel like a heavy burden. For this reason, many victims first search for labor consultant fees for unpaid wage cases.
It is natural to expect that “handling the case through a labor consultant might be a more affordable solution.”
In actual consultations, the most common questions are straightforward:
How much do labor consultants charge, and is it really necessary to involve a lawyer?
However, the core issue in unpaid wage cases is not simply a comparison of fees.
What matters is not how much you spend, but how the case is structured from the very beginning.
This is where differences in professional expertise begin to surface clearly.
Fee Structure for Labor Consultants in Unpaid Wage Cases
Where Does the Labor Consultant’s Role End?
In general, labor consultant fees in unpaid wage cases consist of an initial retainer and a success fee, which vary depending on the unpaid amount and the complexity of the case.
Labor consultants primarily handle tasks such as filing complaints with the Labor Office, preparing documentation to calculate unpaid wages, and providing guidance on labor-related laws and regulations (Article 2 of the Certified Labor Consultant Act).
Up to this stage, a labor consultant’s expertise is fully utilized.
The problem arises after that point.
When the employer denies liability, disputes employee status, or challenges specific wage components, the matter moves beyond a simple administrative procedure.
If the case escalates to criminal complaints or civil litigation, it enters the exclusive domain of lawyers, and a labor consultant alone cannot provide representation (Supreme Court of Korea, January 13, 2022, Case No. 2015Do6329).
From this stage onward, legal representation by a lawyer becomes essential.
The Difference When Working With a Labor Law Attorney
Who Is Also a Former Certified Labor Consultant
When an unpaid wage case is handled by a labor law attorney who is also a former certified labor consultant, the approach differs from the outset, as they combine labor law expertise with litigation capability.
From the wage calculation stage, the case is structured with potential litigation in mind, while administrative responses before the Labor Office and civil or criminal risks are considered simultaneously.
This leads to fundamentally different outcomes compared to an approach focused solely on reducing labor consultant fees.
In practice, a single sentence in a statement submitted during the complaint stage often becomes decisive evidence in later court proceedings.
Similarly, the wording used in settlement agreements can completely determine whether additional claims remain possible in the future.
Rather than separating the roles of labor consultants and lawyers, a unified approach from the beginning is often the most effective way to resolve the case efficiently.
Decent’s Approach to Unpaid Wage Cases
Decent’s dedicated labor team operates through direct collaboration with labor law attorneys who are former certified labor consultants.
Labor Office proceedings, civil actions, and criminal procedures are not treated as separate tracks but are designed as one integrated process.
Many individuals begin by focusing solely on labor consultant fees, only to find themselves seeking a lawyer later after the case has escalated.
To reduce such trial and error, we assess from the earliest stage how far the case is likely to progress.
Unpaid wages are not issues that end with a simple complaint.
Recovery rates and processing speed vary significantly depending on how the strategy is set, and establishing the right direction from the start is ultimately the most practical solution.
