Calculators
Legal Matter Budget Calculator
Build a legal matter budget by phase from partner, associate and paralegal hours, rates, disbursements and contingency.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Preparing litigation budgets for clients
- Fixed-fee or capped-fee proposals
- Tracking actuals against budget
- In-house legal spend planning
About this tool
What the Legal Matter Budget Calculator does
Clients increasingly ask for budgets before a matter starts. Estimating hours by phase for each level of timekeeper, multiplying by their rates and adding disbursements gives a defensible budget that can be tracked as the matter progresses.
Formula
- Phase fees = partner hours × rate + associate hours × rate + paralegal hours × rate
- Total = (fees + disbursements) × (1 + contingency)
- Blended rate = fees ÷ hours
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Phases | 5 entries |
| Partner rate | $450 |
| Associate rate | $275 |
| Paralegal rate | $150 |
| Disbursements (filing, experts, travel) | $8,000 |
| Contingency | 15% |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Total budget with contingency | $127,880 |
| Professional fees | $103,200 |
| Total hours | 357.0 |
| Blended hourly rate | $289 |
How to read the result
State the assumptions behind each phase, such as number of depositions, so changes in scope can be explained.
Delegating to the right level of timekeeper lowers the blended rate without reducing quality.
General information only, not legal advice. Laws and court practice vary by jurisdiction; consult a qualified lawyer.
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Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
By estimating hours per phase for each level of lawyer and staff, then adding disbursements and contingency.
Total fees divided by total hours across all timekeepers.
Out-of-pocket costs such as court fees, expert fees, travel and copying.
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