Estimate a low and high range for a lawyer's bill from the expected hours, an hourly rate band and fixed disbursements.
Use this estimator to sense-check a lawyer's estimate or to budget before you ask for one. Pick the band that matches who will do most of the work, enter the hours the lawyer expects for the stage you are budgeting, and add disbursements: court filing fees, title or company searches, process server fees, expert reports and, if a barrister is briefed, the barrister's fees.
Formula. Low estimate = hours x low hourly rate + disbursements. High estimate = hours x high hourly rate + disbursements. Rates in the list already include 10% GST; if your lawyer quotes ex-GST rates, multiply them by 1.1 first.
Worked example (illustrative). A lawyer with three years' experience expects 12 hours to send a letter of demand, review the reply and negotiate. At $330 to $495 an hour including GST, professional fees are 12 x $330 = $3,960 to 12 x $495 = $5,940. Adding $900 of disbursements gives a range of $4,860 to $6,840.
Six-minute units. Many firms bill time in units of 0.1 of an hour. A two-minute phone call can be charged as one unit, so ten short calls can cost a full hour. Ask how the firm records time and whether short emails are charged.
Limits. The rate bands are illustrative examples, not market data; real rates vary widely by city, firm size and area of law. The tool does not include an uplift fee, interest on unpaid bills or the costs you might recover from, or have to pay to, another party. Your lawyer's written costs disclosure is the estimate that matters.
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