Lawyers
are
often
asked
to
estimate
how
much
it
will
cost
to
pursue
a
given
strategy
or
complete
a
particular
legal
project.
Clients
may
be
wary
of
giving
lawyers
a
blank
check
when
performing
work,
and
clients
often
want
to
understand
how
much
money
they
might
need
to
pay
if
a
matter
proceeds
in
a
certain
way.
Also,
it
can
be
difficult
for
lawyers
to
accurately
estimate
the
cost
of
a
given
legal
task
since
legal
matters
are
unpredictable,
and
it
can
be
difficult
to
provide
an
accurate
estimate
of
cost.
However,
lawyers
can
keep
some
things
in
mind
when
conveying
estimates
of
legal
costs
so
that
clients
have
the
least
likelihood
of
being
upset
at
the
final
cost
of
the
work.
Sometimes,
lawyers
wish
to
underestimate
the
amount
it
might
cost
to
pursue
a
given
legal
strategy.
Attorneys
may
believe
that
a
client
would
not
hire
a
lawyer
if
they
think
that
the
expense
is
too
high,
so
a
lawyer
may
wish
to
understate
the
estimated
cost
for
services.
Moreover,
lawyers
may
be
competing
for
legal
work,
and
it
might
be
better
to
quote
a
lower
cost
to
pursue
a
strategy
hoping
that
a
client
will
pick
the
lawyer
who
said
they
could
complete
a
project
at
the
lowest
cost.
Still
other
lawyers
may
believe
it
will
not
be
much
of
a
big
deal
if
the
lawyer
goes
over
the
estimate
so
there
are
not
too
many
problems
to
underestimating
the
cost
of
legal
services.
However,
whenever
possible,
it
is
usually
best
to
give
an
estimate
that
has
a
range
which
includes
a
high-end
figure
if
a
particular
project
is
exceptionally
expensive
to
complete.
This
may
give
some
clients
sticker
shock,
and
they
may
not
wish
to
pursue
a
given
strategy
when
confronted
with
the
possibility
that
this
will
cost
the
client
a
bucket
of
money.
However,
clients
should
have
as
much
information
as
possible
when
making
choices
about
legal
strategy,
so
quoting
a
worst-case
scenario
is
usually
the
right
thing
to
do.
In
addition,
this
makes
it
less
likely
that
a
client
will
feel
upset
when
they
end
up
paying
more
than
expected
at
the
end
of
a
representation,
which
can
help
a
lawyer
establish
a
long-term
connection
with
the
client.
Another
helpful
strategy
when
estimating
legal
costs
is
to
refrain
from
providing
a
single
figure
for
a
given
legal
project.
Many
lawyers
would
rather
provide
an
estimated
cost
for
each
of
the
particular
tasks
associated
with
a
project
so
that
a
client
can
digest
cost
information
in
smaller
bits
of
information.
When
I
was
an
associate
at
an
insurance
defense
firm,
some
of
the
insurance
companies
made
us
prepare
budgets
so
that
they
could
estimate
how
much
each
matter
would
cost
to
litigate.
From
my
experience,
insurance
companies
were
much
more
likely
to
approve
larger
budgets
if
they
could
see
all
of
the
tasks
that
would
be
incorporated
into
the
representation
and
the
cost
of
each
task.
Usually,
I
would
list
all
of
the
stages
of
litigation
through
discovery,
dispositive
motions,
trial,
and
appeal.
I
would
then
break
down
these
categories
further
into
the
number
of
depositions,
types
of
written
discovery,
and
other
subparts.
I
would
then
provide
a
range
of
cost
for
each
of
the
stages
so
that
the
estimate
was
completely
transparent.
At
the
end,
I
had
a
global
range
of
how
much
the
entire
matter
could
cost
to
litigate,
which
I
arrived
at
by
adding
all
of
the
costs
that
I
broke
down
in
prior
sections
of
the
budget.
Lawyers
should
try
their
best
not
to
give
clients
an
estimate
of
legal
costs
without
breaking
things
down
into
tasks
since
this
a
much
more
difficult
pill
to
swallow
than
understanding
all
of
the
steps
involved
in
a
matter
and
how
much
each
task
costs.
All
told,
estimating
legal
costs
can
be
very
difficult,
and
lawyers
can
implement
a
few
different
strategies
to
lessen
client
dissatisfaction.
Usually,
being
transparent
about
worst-case
scenarios
and
breaking
down
budgets
whenever
possible
helps
lawyers
convey
cost
information
with
the
lowest
chance
a
client
will
be
disappointed.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of
The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of
Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at
[email protected].
