Clients are understandably concerned with the expense of litigation – lawsuits, arbitration, hearings, etc., and sometimes ask us to estimate what their particular case will cost.  As you can imagine, it is difficult to estimate in advance how much a given case will cost due to the number and variety of factors involved. Some of the more common factors include:

– the number and complexity of factual and legal issues presented
– the amount of money in dispute and the type of relief sought
– the attitudes, actions and resources of the opposing party and their counsel
– the efforts made at attempting to settle the case, both before and during the case
– the number of days the case would take to be heard and whether a jury is requested
– the costs incurred in the case for items such as mediators and arbitrators, expert                               witnesses, investigators, travel expenses and discovery costs.

Because of the wide variety of factors involved, estimates are simply educated guesses based upon past experience and assuming most of the factors in a case come out about ‘average’. For example, we handle some litigation matters on an hourly fee basis. The following are estimated ranges of what such cases might cost, per side, in fees and costs, if they were to proceed all the way through trial or hearing (but not including appeals, re-trials, or post-trial matters such as collections) on an hourly fee basis:

1/2-day county court trial $ 3,500 – $7,000
1-day county court trial $ 7,000 – $15,000
2-day arbitration hearing $15,000 – $30,000
3-day district court trial $25,000 – $45,000
5-day district court jury trial $40,000 – $75,000

You have our commitment we will work our hardest to represent you effectively, efficiently and successfully in any litigation. However, these are simply estimated ranges of average fees and costs and no representation is made that any particular case may not significantly exceed these ranges.

If you would like to discuss any potential litigation or upcoming hearings or court appearances with one of our experienced attorneys, please feel free to call and schedule an appointment.

Disclaimer –The foregoing are observations and opinions of the author. It is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. The law is complicated and there are exceptions. You should always discuss your particular facts and circumstances with a qualified attorney.