Paralegals send estimates when an attorney or a client needs to budget a project, such as a discovery response, a document review, a trial prep push, or a set of formation documents. Firms usually compare your hourly rate, your estimated hours, and whether you will cap the total.
When to use estimates: Use estimates to provide project quotes and get client approval before starting work. Once approved, convert your estimate to an invoice with one click to collect payment.
Create an invoice for payment collection
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Invoice_1001_Client_2026-10-14.pdf
Naming what you will produce, such as responses to one set of interrogatories or a summary of one deposition, keeps a project from expanding without pay.
It shows how the total was built and lets the attorney check it against their client's budget.
State page counts, number of documents, or number of exhibits. Review time can double if the volume does, and this gives you grounds to reprice.
Delays in receiving files, client answers, or approvals affect your schedule and can justify rush charges.
Filing fees, certified copies, records requests, e-discovery platform fees, and courier costs are usually extra and should be listed as pass-through.
Stating that you work under attorney direction and do not provide legal advice protects both you and the client.
Define how many edits are included and how scope changes will be priced and approved in writing.
| Service | Priced | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| General paralegal work for attorneys (drafting, file management, calendaring) | per hour | $35-75 |
| Litigation support (discovery responses, trial binders, exhibit prep) | per hour | $45-90 |
| Legal research and memo drafting | per hour | $50-100 |
| Document review and e-discovery coding | per hour | $30-60 |
| Deposition or medical record summary | per hour | $40-75 |
| Uncontested family law or simple document preparation (where permitted for non-lawyers) | flat fee | $150-600 |
| Filing and court runner service | per filing | $25-75 |
| Monthly retainer for ongoing attorney support | per month | $800-3,000 |
Typical US ranges. Rates vary by region, experience, and job size.
Give a low and high hour estimate, for example 10 to 14 hours, and a not-to-exceed figure. Attorneys prefer predictable costs and the cap builds trust.
Use records of how long similar tasks took you and add a margin for revisions. Flat fees fit repeatable work, not uncertain litigation tasks.
If a deadline requires evenings or weekends, quote a premium, often 25 to 50 percent above your normal rate, and put it in the estimate.
Splitting work into stages such as intake, review, and drafting lets the attorney approve each part and gives you natural billing points.
Use a flat fee when the task and volume are well defined and you have done it many times. Use an hourly estimate with a cap when volume or complexity is unknown, such as document review before you have seen the files.
Brief estimates are normally free. For a large project that needs you to review files first, you can charge a small scoping fee or credit it toward the project if the client hires you.
Tell the attorney as soon as you see it happening and send a written revised estimate before doing additional work. A change-order clause in your original quote makes this routine.
Thirty days is common. For work tied to court deadlines, state that your availability and price are held only until a certain date.
Use the Paralegal invoice template to bill the client, or convert this estimate once it's approved.
Paralegal invoice template