Legal fee comparison tool

Estimates only. Actual fees vary by attorney, jurisdiction, and case specifics. This tool provides a general cost comparison only, not a quote from any specific firm. See our full disclaimer.

Fee structure comparison

Attorney hourly rate ($/hr)

Estimated total hours for the matter

Type of matter Contingency arrangements are generally only available for recovery-based claims like personal injury.

Flat fee quote, if you have one (optional)

Contingency percentage, if applicable (optional)

Expected settlement or recovery amount, if applicable (optional)

Estimated cost comparison

Not sure which fee structure fits your matter?

An attorney can review your specific situation and recommend the fee arrangement that makes the most financial sense for you.

How do the main legal fee structures actually compare?

Hourly billing charges for actual time spent, which means total cost is unpredictable until the matter concludes. A flat fee sets one price upfront for a defined scope of work, giving cost certainty but only for work that stays within that defined scope. Contingency fees charge nothing upfront and instead take a percentage, commonly 25% to 40%, of any eventual settlement or judgment, so the attorney only gets paid if the client wins or settles.

The right structure depends heavily on the type of matter. Recovery-based claims like personal injury are well suited to contingency since there's a clear dollar recovery to take a percentage from. Transactional work like a will or a simple contract is well suited to flat fee since the scope is defined and predictable. Ongoing litigation with an uncertain path is often billed hourly precisely because nobody can accurately predict the total hours at the outset. Once you've compared structures here, formalize the terms with our engagement letter builder or check contingency-specific numbers with the contingency fee calculator.

Is a flat fee always cheaper than hourly billing?

Not necessarily. A flat fee is priced to cover the attorney's expected time plus a margin for the risk that the matter runs longer than expected, so it can end up higher than hourly billing would have cost if the matter resolves quickly. The advantage of flat fee isn't guaranteed savings, it's cost certainty regardless of how the matter actually unfolds.

Why do contingency fees seem so much higher than hourly rates would suggest?

Contingency percentages look large against a settlement number, but they compensate the attorney for taking on the risk of being paid nothing at all if the case is lost, plus fronting case costs like expert witnesses and filing fees along the way. An attorney evaluating 100 contingency cases expects to lose or settle low on some of them, and the percentage on winning cases has to cover that risk across the whole portfolio of work.

Can fee structures be mixed within a single matter?

Yes. Hybrid arrangements exist, such as a reduced hourly rate paired with a smaller contingency percentage, or a flat fee for an initial phase followed by hourly billing if the matter escalates into litigation. These hybrid structures split the risk between attorney and client rather than placing it entirely on one side.

Frequently asked questions about legal fee structures

Most personal injury contingency fees fall between 33% and 40% of the recovery, with the percentage sometimes increasing if the case goes to trial rather than settling. Some states cap contingency percentages by law for certain case types, particularly medical malpractice, so the maximum allowed percentage can vary based on where you live and what kind of claim you have.

Typically no attorney fee is owed upfront, but case costs like filing fees, expert witness fees, and deposition costs are often still the client's responsibility, either paid as incurred or, more commonly, deducted from the settlement before the contingency percentage is calculated or after, depending on how the fee agreement is written. Always confirm which method your specific agreement uses, since it changes your net recovery.

Yes, some firms will convert to a flat fee once the scope of remaining work becomes clear enough to price confidently, particularly for a defined next phase like drafting a settlement agreement. This requires a new written fee agreement, since fee terms generally can't be changed unilaterally by either side once work has begun.

Yes, fee terms are generally negotiable, particularly for larger cases, long-standing clients, or matters where the attorney is confident in a strong outcome. It never hurts to ask, though some firms have firmer standard rates than others depending on their business model and caseload.

Fees compensate the attorney for their time or take a percentage of recovery. Costs are separate out-of-pocket expenses the matter requires, such as court filing fees, expert witnesses, deposition transcripts, and process servers. Costs are typically owed regardless of the fee structure and regardless of case outcome, unless the fee agreement specifically states otherwise.