Free Solo & Small Practice Calculators
A small practice has the same arithmetic and less room for error
Four calculators for solo and small-firm economics: the billable hours required before you draw anything, whether individual matters are actually profitable, the rate an income target needs, and fixed-fee pricing that survives an overrun.
Solo Practice Revenue Calculator
Model the economics of a small or solo practice: revenue after realization and collection, costs, profit and the hours needed to break even.
Result
Operating profit
$184,908
Break-even billable hours
457.7
- Collected revenue
- $298,908
- Gross value of time
- $342,000
- Total costs
- $114,000
- Profit margin
- 61.86%
- Profit per owner
- $184,908
- Revenue per fee earner
- $298,908
- Effective rate
- $249.09
- Overhead ratio
- 18.07%
This tool performs arithmetic on the values you enter. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Break-even hours show the total billable hours the firm must record before it covers salaries and overhead at the current realization and collection rates.
Profit per partner here is a simple division of operating profit. It is not a compensation formula and ignores capital accounts and tax.
Read the full guide, worked examples and FAQ for this calculator →
Popular tools
The calculators visitors to LegalPracticeTools open most often.
- Firm Economics
Solo Practice Revenue Calculator
Model the economics of a small or solo practice: revenue after realization and collection, costs, profit and the hours needed to break even.
Open calculator → - Matters & Cases
Matter Profitability Calculator
Compare what a matter was priced at against what it is actually consuming, and project where it will end up.
Open calculator → - Firm Economics
Practice Break-Even Calculator
Work out the average rate a practice income target requires once realization and collection are applied.
Open calculator → - Billing & Fees
Practice Pricing Calculator
Price a fixed fee from loaded cost, a risk buffer and a target margin, with the overrun headroom stated explicitly.
Open calculator →
In a large firm a slow quarter is absorbed by other timekeepers. In a solo or small practice it is absorbed by the owner, and the fixed costs continue regardless. That makes the same arithmetic considerably less forgiving.
These calculators cover the four questions that decide whether a small practice works: what the break-even is, which matters make money, what rate the income target requires, and whether the fixed fees have enough headroom to survive the matters that run long.
Browse by category
Firm Economics
Profitability, rates and capacity for a practice.
Matters & Cases
Budgets, durations and organisation for individual matters.
Why use LegalPracticeTools
Break-even in hours
Hours are the unit a practice manages. Knowing how many are consumed by costs makes the effect of a lease or a hire immediately legible.
Profitability per matter
Firm-level margin averages the good matters with the bad ones. Matter-level measurement is the only way to see which is which.
Rates from arithmetic
Work backwards from an income target and see exactly what write-downs and unpaid invoices add to every hour you have to bill.
Fixed fees priced from cost
Priced from the rate card, a fixed fee is either uncompetitive or unprofitable. Priced from loaded cost with a stated buffer, it works.
How it works
- Calculate break-even hours before committing to any new fixed cost.
- Measure profitability on individual matters, especially fixed-fee ones.
- Derive the rate your income target requires rather than copying the market.
- Price fixed fees from loaded cost and check the headroom before agreeing.
Frequently asked questions
Is this legal advice?
No. This website provides general informational and productivity tools and does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.
Should I count my own draw as a cost or as profit?
Either, as long as you are consistent. Treating it as a salary cost makes profit read as surplus; leaving it out makes profit read as your income.
Why price fixed fees from loaded cost rather than my rate?
Because the rate card already contains a margin built on assumptions about utilisation and leakage. Using it as a cost base makes the margin calculation meaningless.
How do I know if a matter type is underpriced?
Measure several of them. A matter type that consistently projects over its price is underpriced, and that only becomes visible at matter level.
Is any of my practice data stored?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. No revenue, cost or client figures are transmitted or saved.