Turn hours and hourly rates into a low and high fee range for your divorce.
Use this estimator to translate a lawyer's hourly rate into a realistic range for your whole case. Enter the number of attorney hours you expect, a low and a high hourly rate, and any fixed costs such as the court filing fee, service of process and a parenting class.
The formula is simple: low estimate = hours x low rate + fixed costs, and high estimate = hours x high rate + fixed costs. For example, with 40 hours, rates of $250 to $400 and $600 of fixed costs, the range is 40 x 250 + 600 = $10,600 up to 40 x 400 + 600 = $16,600. These inputs are illustrative only and are not a quote or a statistic about any market.
To make the result useful, ask prospective lawyers for their hourly rate, the rate for paralegals, and a written estimate of hours for each stage. Remember that contested issues, expert witnesses, trial days and disputes over children can push hours well above a first guess. Paralegal time is usually billed at a lower rate, so a blended rate may be lower than the partner's rate.
This tool does not include expert fees, appraisals, mediator fees or taxes. Treat the output as a planning range and confirm every figure in a written fee agreement.
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