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Law Firm Attorney Fee Calculator

Attorney fee under a sliding scale that steps down as the recovery rises, as many rules require.

Your numbers

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Result

Total fee $120,825
Effective rate 30.21%
From the first tier $83,325
From the second tier $37,500
From the third tier $0
At a flat first-tier rate $133,320
The fee is $120,825, an effective rate of 30.21% rather than the headline 33.33. A flat rate across the whole recovery would have been $133,320.

Business arithmetic for running a practice, not legal advice. Fee agreements, contingency limits, trust accounting and fee splitting are governed by the rules of professional conduct in your jurisdiction, and several of them are strict. Check the applicable rules before any of this affects a client agreement. Sliding scales are mandatory in several jurisdictions for particular matter types, especially medical malpractice and claims involving minors, and the tiers are set by statute or court rule rather than negotiation. Court approval of the fee is required in some categories regardless of what the agreement says.

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Questions

About this calculator

Why do rates step down on larger recoveries?

Because the rules in many jurisdictions require it, on the reasoning that the work does not scale proportionally with the recovery. The tiers are set by statute, not by the firm.

Does the effective rate go on the agreement?

The tiers do, and showing the client the effective rate on a realistic outcome is good practice. A headline rate with an undisclosed scale is a complaint waiting to happen.

The formula

fee = each tier's portion of the recovery at that tier's rate, added together

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