Turn an estimate of hours and the fee-earner's hourly rate into a low and high budget, plus disbursements, before tax.
Use this estimator one stage at a time: pleadings, documents and discovery, mediation, trial preparation, trial. Ask the lawyer how many hours they expect for that stage and who will do the work, then enter the hours, the hourly rate range and the disbursements the stage will need. Run it again for each stage and add the results.
Formula. Low estimate = hours x low rate + disbursements. High estimate = hours x high rate + disbursements. The result is before sales tax: add GST, HST or GST plus QST or PST at your province's rate (see the guide to tax on legal bills).
Worked example (illustrative). A junior lawyer expects 40 hours for documents and examinations for discovery, at $250 to $350 an hour, with $1,500 for transcripts and courier costs. Low: 40 x $250 + $1,500 = $11,500. High: 40 x $350 + $1,500 = $15,500. With 13% HST on the whole amount (assuming every item is taxable), that becomes about $12,995 to $17,515.
Limits. The rate ranges in the drop-down are illustrative placeholders, not market data: rates vary widely by city, practice area and firm, so replace them with the rates in your own retainer agreement. Hours are the biggest unknown; a motion or an uncooperative opponent can double a stage. Some disbursements, such as court filing fees, are not taxed in the same way as fees. See the worked lawsuit estimate.
Worked Estimates and Hiring Checklists
A stage-by-stage cost estimate for a Canadian civil lawsuit, from demand letter to trial, with hours, rates, disbursements, tax and costs awards worked out and compared.
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Lawyer Fees, Cost Factors and 2026 Rules
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