Freelance and contract paralegals send invoices to law firms, solo attorneys, corporate legal departments, and in some states to the public as legal document preparers. They typically bill for document review, drafting, legal research, discovery work, trial preparation, and filing costs advanced on the client's behalf.
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Most freelance paralegals bill hourly, usually in six-minute (0.1 hour) or fifteen-minute increments, with the rate set by specialty, experience, and certifications. Litigation support, e-discovery, and intellectual property work tend to pay more than general document work. Repeatable tasks such as discovery responses, deposition summaries, trust document assembly, or uncontested divorce paperwork (where non-lawyers may legally do this) are often quoted as flat fees. Some firms pay a monthly retainer for a set number of hours. Court fees, records fees, courier charges, and similar costs are usually passed through at cost and listed separately. Rules on who a paralegal may work for and what they may charge the public vary by state. A paralegal generally must work under an attorney's supervision and cannot give legal advice or set fees for legal services on their own, so check your state's rules.
| 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.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-level document review, Smith v. Alder Logistics (production set 2) | 12 hours | $55.00 | $660.00 |
| Draft responses to first set of interrogatories and requests for production | 6.5 hours | $65.00 | $422.50 |
| Deposition summary, R. Alder (112 pages) | 4.5 hours | $60.00 | $270.00 |
| Prepare and e-file motion to compel, with proof of service | 1.5 hours | $65.00 | $97.50 |
| Court e-filing fee (advanced at cost, receipt attached) | 1 each | $40.00 | $40.00 |
| Total | $1,490.00 | ||
Notes: Payment due within 30 days of invoice date. Time is billed in 0.1-hour increments. Court fees are billed at cost. A 1.5% monthly late fee applies to balances past due. All work performed under the supervision of the engaging attorney and subject to confidentiality terms in our agreement.
Law firms track billing by matter, and a missing case number often delays payment or forces a reissue.
It shows the work was done under attorney supervision, which matters for ethics rules and for any later fee recovery.
Detailed time entries let the attorney pass your time through to their client or support a fee petition.
Stating that you bill in 0.1-hour increments at a set rate avoids questions about how the totals were calculated.
Filing fees, records fees, and courier charges should be separate from fees so they can be reimbursed and billed through at cost.
Corporate legal departments often require it before accounts payable will release payment.
Some states require non-lawyer document preparers to display registration details, and it helps firms confirm your credentials.
Net 15 or net 30 is common when billing law firms, and some firms pay only after they collect from their own client, so confirm in writing that your payment is not contingent on that. New clients often pay a retainer or deposit of one to two weeks of expected work, or half of a flat fee up front. Invoice monthly for ongoing work and on completion for flat-fee projects. Late fees of 1 to 1.5 percent per month are typical if stated in your agreement. Most paralegals accept ACH, check, and card payments. If you hold client funds, follow your state's rules and consult the supervising attorney, since trust account requirements generally apply to lawyers rather than freelancers.
Log time as you work instead of rebuilding it at month end. Firms often review paralegal time closely, and detailed entries are hard to dispute.
List court fees, certified copies, and courier charges on their own lines with receipts. It keeps your fee total clean and makes reimbursement easy to verify.
A short agreement covering rate, increments, payment timing, confidentiality, and who supervises you prevents most billing disputes with attorneys.
Flat fees work for discovery responses or a standard document package. If the scope can grow, such as trial prep, bill hourly or set a cap with a change-order clause.
Send invoices at the same point each month or at matter milestones. Firms batch their payments, and a late invoice can push payment back a full cycle.
In most states, paralegals must work under a licensed attorney and bill the attorney or firm, not the public, for legal services. A few states allow registered or licensed legal document preparers or similar roles to serve the public directly for limited tasks. Check your state bar and court rules before taking direct clients.
Six-minute (0.1 hour) increments are the most common in law firms and are seen as more precise. Fifteen-minute increments are simpler and used by some small firms. Whichever you choose, state it on your agreement and invoice.
Many paralegals bill travel time at a reduced rate, often half, and list mileage separately at a stated per-mile rate. Agree on this in advance, since some firms do not allow travel time to be passed through to their clients.
Generally no. Fee-sharing with non-lawyers and contingency arrangements are restricted by legal ethics rules in most states. Paralegals typically charge hourly or flat fees for their own work. Ask the supervising attorney or your state bar if you are unsure.
Avoid that arrangement unless you agree to it knowingly. Your agreement should say payment is due on a fixed date regardless of the firm's collections, otherwise you carry the risk of their client's slow payment.
Send a Paralegal estimate for approval, then turn it into an invoice when the work is done.
Paralegal estimate template