Legal Fee Calculator

Legal costs are notoriously hard to pin down before you've hired anyone, which is exactly the gap this tool fills. Pick a case type and it shows a low-to-high range of attorney fees, the midpoint of that range, and the billing method most often used for that kind of case. The goal is straightforward: give you enough of a number to budget sensibly and weigh your options for representation without flying blind.

The ranges are fixed planning figures built into the calculator, not a survey or a local rate table: family law $5,000 to $25,000 (usually hourly, shown as $200 to $400 an hour), criminal defense $3,000 to $50,000 (flat or hourly), civil litigation $5,000 to $100,000 (hourly or contingency), and estate planning $2,000 to $10,000, bankruptcy $1,500 to $6,000 and immigration $2,000 to $15,000, all three usually flat fees. The average shown is the midpoint of the range. There is no input for complexity, location or the lawyer's experience, and those are what move a real quote within the range or past it. ABA Model Rule 1.5(d) bars contingent fees in divorce and other domestic relations matters and in criminal defense; check your state's version of the rule.

Actual fees can drift well above an estimate when a case hits unexpected snags, heavy discovery, or drawn-out negotiations. Before you commit, go over the complete fee structure with your attorney, including extras like court filing fees, expert witness charges, and travel costs that rarely show up in a first conversation. Don't lock in your expectations on this calculator alone.