LegalCalculatorTools

Legal Fee Calculator

Build a fee estimate from hours at each timekeeper level, plus expenses, a contingency allowance and tax.

Last reviewed

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Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

A fee estimate that is only a single number invites an argument later. An estimate broken down by timekeeper level tells the client what they are buying, and tells the firm whether the matter is being staffed the way it was priced.

This calculator assembles a fee from partner, associate and paralegal hours at their own rates, adds expenses and a contingency allowance for scope that is likely but not yet defined, and reports the blended rate the client will actually experience.

Your numbers

Results update as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Partner
Associate
Paralegal
Other

Result

Total estimate

$32,760

Blended hourly rate

$342.86

Professional fees
$26,400
Partner fees
$7,800
Associate fees
$15,300
Paralegal fees
$3,300
Contingency allowance
$3,960
Expenses
$2,400
Total hours
77
Partner share of fees
29.55%

This tool performs arithmetic on the values you enter. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The blended rate is the single number clients remember. Shifting work to the right timekeeper level moves it more than any rate change.

A contingency allowance covers scope that is likely but not yet defined. State it separately in the estimate so the client can see what it is for.

Fee estimate by timekeeper

LevelHoursRateFees
Partner12$650$7,800
Associate45$340$15,300
Paralegal20$165$3,300

How to use the legal fee calculator

  1. Enter the estimated hours and hourly rate for each timekeeper level.
  2. Add anticipated expenses - filing fees, experts, travel, court reporters.
  3. Add a contingency allowance for scope that is likely but not yet defined.
  4. Enter any tax that applies, then read the total and the blended rate.

What people use this for

  • Preparing a fee estimate for an engagement letter.
  • Testing how staffing decisions change the price a client sees.
  • Comparing a proposed hourly estimate against a flat fee.
  • Checking whether a budget is realistic before agreeing to it.

Worked examples

Every figure below is produced by running this calculator against the example inputs, so the numbers always match the tool.

A transactional matter

12 partner hours at $650, 45 associate hours at $340, 20 paralegal hours at $165, $2,400 of expenses and a 15% contingency allowance.

Total estimate
$32,760
Blended hourly rate
$342.86
Contingency allowance
$3,960

The same matter staffed more heavily at partner level

Thirty partner hours instead of twelve, with associate hours reduced accordingly.

Total estimate
$39,177
Blended hourly rate
$415.32
Partner share of fees
60.98%

The blended rate is the number clients remember

Clients rarely recall the partner rate or the associate rate. They recall what the matter cost divided by the hours it took, and that figure is decided by staffing rather than by the rate card.

Moving ten hours of document review from an associate to a paralegal changes the blended rate more than a rate increase would, and it changes it in the direction the client prefers. That is why the staffing mix is the real pricing lever in a law firm.

Contingency allowances belong on the estimate, not in the rate

Every matter has scope that is likely but not yet defined: an extra round of comments, a discovery dispute, a filing that turns out to be contested. Pricing that in by quietly inflating hours makes the estimate look padded and makes any later conversation harder.

Stating it separately as an allowance does the opposite. It tells the client the estimate has been thought about honestly, and it gives you something specific to point to when the scope does move.

Methodology and assumptions

What this calculator does, and what it deliberately does not do.

  • Professional fees are the sum of hours × rate at each level. The contingency allowance is a percentage of professional fees only, not of expenses.
  • Tax is applied to fees, contingency and expenses combined. Which components are taxable differs by jurisdiction.
  • The blended rate divides professional fees by total hours, excluding expenses and tax.
  • The tool performs arithmetic or date counting on the values you enter. It does not interpret a rule, a statute or a contract.
  • Nothing you type is transmitted or stored - the calculation runs entirely inside your browser.

This website provides general informational and productivity tools and does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.

The date and deadline tools count days exactly as you instruct them. They do not interpret court rules, statutes of limitation, filing requirements or any other legal authority, and they do not know the rules of your jurisdiction.

Always verify any date, fee, or calculation against the governing rule, the court calendar and your own professional judgement. If you need legal advice, consult a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

Should expenses be marked up?

Practice varies and some jurisdictions restrict it. Whatever you do, state it in the engagement letter - unexplained markups on disbursements are one of the more common sources of fee disputes.

How large should the contingency allowance be?

It depends on how well defined the scope is. A routine, repeatable matter needs very little; litigation with an unpredictable opponent needs considerably more.

Is this an estimate or a quote?

An estimate built from your own assumptions. It is not a fee agreement and it does not bind anyone.

Does this account for write-downs?

No. This is the estimate. Use a billable hours or utilization calculator to model what proportion of recorded time actually becomes cash.

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