Litigation estimates, stage by stage
Agree the first stage, disclose a range for every later one, and send a revised agreement before the next stage starts.
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In QuoteCloud a staged litigation estimate sets out each stage with a low and high estimate, counsel's and experts' fees as disbursements and the stage agreed now. Before the next stage, send a revised agreement for the client and any guarantor of costs to sign; each signed version stays on record.
A staged estimate for a fictional building dispute, Hartley v Brennock Constructions, as a ladder of four stages: advice and negotiation ($3,800 to $5,200), a tribunal application ($6,500 to $9,000), evidence and mediation ($9,000 to $14,000) and a hearing ($14,000 to $22,000). Stage 1 is agreed in version 1; then a revised agreement, version 2, is signed and stage 2 is agreed too, so the amount agreed now changes from $3,800 to $5,200 to $10,300 to $14,200. Stages 3 and 4 remain estimates only.
TMHartley v Brennock ConstructionsLG-2431 · estimate by stage, before tax
- 1 Advice, letter of demand and negotiation$3,800–$5,200 Estimate only Agreed · v1
- 2 Tribunal application and pleadings$6,500–$9,000 Estimate only Agreed · v2
- 3 Evidence, expert report and mediation$9,000–$14,000 Estimate only
- 4 Hearing preparation and hearing$14,000–$22,000 Estimate only
Agreed in version 1 (stage 1)$3,800–$5,200Agreed in version 2 (stages 1 and 2)$10,300–$14,200
v2 signed by Jacob and Ellen
A staged estimate, read part by part
Jacob Hartley's building dispute from a fictional firm. Stage 1 is agreed now; the hearing is disclosed as a range before he decides anything.
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01 Firm edits
The matter and what this agreement covers
The disputes template's cover: the matter name, the client and a welcome that says plainly this agreement covers stage 1 only.
TM Thistlewood Marsh LawyersCosts agreement · staged estimate LG-2431 Sample · fictional firmCosts agreement · staged estimate
Hartley v Brennock Constructions
Prepared for Jacob Hartley · 28 October 2026 · Please sign within 14 days
This agreement covers stage 1 of your building dispute. We also set out our best estimate of each later stage now, so you can see the likely cost of taking the matter to a hearing before you decide.
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02 Your estimate
Every stage, with a range
Four stages from a letter of demand to a two-day hearing, each with a low and high estimate. Stage 1 is marked agreed; the others say Estimate only, with the total range to a hearing underneath.
Estimate by stage Professional fees, before tax
- 1 Stage 1: Advice, letter of demand and negotiationReview the contract and defects, demand, negotiate $3,800–$5,200Agreed in this document
- 2 Stage 2: Tribunal application and pleadingsPrepare and file the application, respond to the defence $6,500–$9,000Estimate only
- 3 Stage 3: Evidence, expert report and mediationBrief the expert, prepare evidence, attend mediation $9,000–$14,000Estimate only
- 4 Stage 4: Hearing preparation and hearingBrief counsel, prepare for and attend a two-day hearing $14,000–$22,000Estimate only
- Agreed now (stage 1)
- $3,800–$5,200
- To the end of a hearing, if it gets there
- $33,300–$50,200
Stages 2 to 4 are estimates only. Before any of them starts, we send you a revised agreement to sign.
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03
Stage 1 in detail
The agreed stage as an estimate with its range, searches at cost and an expert's preliminary inspection marked for the client's approval first, plus the hourly rates behind the estimate.
Price tables: Essentials and up
Costs disclosure & costs agreementsStage 1 costs Estimate, charged at our hourly rates
Item Basis Amount Professional fees Advice, letter of demand and negotiationRange $3,800 to $5,200Estimate $4,400.00$3,800–$5,200 Disbursements At cost, as incurred Title and company searchesAt cost $68.00 Preliminary expert inspectionEstimate, with your approval firstAt cost $1,650.00 - Professional fees (estimate)
- $4,400.00
- Tax on fees (10%)
- $440.00
- Disbursements, at cost
- $1,718.00
- Estimated total
- $6,558.00
- Estimated range
- $5,898 to $7,438
- Payment on signing
- $2,500.00
Hourly rates ex tax
- Principal$560/h
- Senior associate$420/h
- Lawyer$310/h
- Law clerk$180/h
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04 Client signs
The client signs; the guarantor is next
Jacob has signed after an emailed passcode; his mother Ellen, guarantor of costs, has opened it but not signed yet. The $2,500 payment on signing is due once both have signed. Payments go to the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects. QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account; check your own trust-money rules before taking payments for future costs.
Signing, passcodes & multiple partiesAccept and sign 1 of 2 signed
- JH Jacob HartleyClient Passcode verified Signed · 28 Oct, 9:04 am
- EH Ellen HartleyGuarantor of costs Passcode to e•••@example.com Awaiting signature
Payment on signingCard or PayPal, after signing $2,500.00 Not yet paidCertificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- Agreement openedJacob Hartley
- Passcode verified · signedJacob Hartley
- Opened by the guarantorEllen Hartley, waiting for her signature
Try it: agree a second stage
The agreement opens covering stages 1 and 2. Switch the stages it covers and watch the agreed costs and the later estimates change, then sign it as the client and the guarantor would.
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Marsh, Principal","scope":{"in":["A meeting to take your instructions, in the office or by video","A will for each of you, and an enduring power of attorney each","One round of changes to the drafts","A signing appointment, with your originals kept in safe custody"],"out":["Advice on tax, pensions or business succession","Estate administration or probate after a death","Changes after you have signed (a new agreement)"]},"lines":[{"g":"fee","item":"Wills and enduring powers of attorney, for both","note":"Fixed-fee bundle","basis":"Fixed","amount":1980},{"g":"fee","id":"trust","opt":true,"item":"Testamentary trust in each will","note":"If your advice recommends one","basis":"Fixed","amount":1100},{"g":"fee","id":"guard","opt":true,"on":true,"item":"Advance care directive, for both","note":"Health and lifestyle decisions","basis":"Fixed","amount":440},{"g":"fee","id":"home","opt":true,"item":"Signing appointment at your home","note":"Within 20 km of the 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fee","basis":"Fixed","amount":2200},{"g":"fee","item":"Negotiating the settlement","note":"Estimate, charged at the hourly rates below","basis":"Estimate","amount":4500,"low":3500,"high":6500},{"g":"fee","item":"Consent orders: drafting and filing","note":"Fixed fee","basis":"Fixed","amount":2800},{"g":"fee","id":"super","opt":true,"item":"Pension splitting orders","note":"If the settlement includes a pension","basis":"Fixed","amount":880},{"g":"disb","item":"Independent valuation of the home","note":"Estimate, at cost","basis":"At cost","amount":650},{"g":"disb","item":"Title searches","note":"At cost","basis":"At cost","amount":45}],"signers":[{"name":"Sarah Kwan","role":"Client","email":"s•••@example.com"}],"pay":{"label":"Payment on signing","amount":2000}},{"id":"comm","label":"Commercial","sub":"Lease for a tenant","icon":"briefcase","basis":"Fixed + hourly","ref":"LG-2473","title":"Costs agreement: your workshop lease","client":"Corrigan Joinery Ltd","lawyer":"Rupert Thistlewood, Partner","scope":{"in":["Review the landlord's draft lease and disclosure statement","A written summary of the key terms and risks","Negotiating changes with the landlord's lawyers","Final review before you sign the lease"],"out":["Advice to the guarantor (they should get their own)","Fit-out contracts, planning or licensing","Disputes under the lease after it is signed"]},"lines":[{"g":"fee","item":"Lease review and written advice","note":"Fixed fee","basis":"Fixed","amount":2750},{"g":"fee","item":"Negotiating with the landlord's lawyers","note":"About 4 hours at the Partner rate of $560 an hour","basis":"Hourly","amount":2240,"low":1680,"high":3360},{"g":"fee","id":"option","opt":true,"item":"Option to renew: notice and timetable","note":"A one-page summary of the key dates","basis":"Fixed","amount":330},{"g":"disb","item":"Company and title searches","note":"At cost","basis":"At cost","amount":68.4}],"signers":[{"name":"Tom Corrigan","role":"Director, for the client","email":"t•••@example.com"},{"name":"Anne Corrigan","role":"Guarantor of costs","email":"a•••@example.com"}],"pay":{"label":"Payment on signing","amount":1500}},{"id":"lit","label":"Litigation","sub":"Building dispute","icon":"stages","basis":"Staged estimate","ref":"LG-2431","title":"Costs agreement: Hartley v Brennock Constructions","client":"Jacob Hartley","lawyer":"Daniel Ferreira, Senior associate","scope":{"in":["The stages of the dispute agreed in this document","Correspondence and negotiation with the builder's lawyers","Briefing counsel and the expert, with your approval","Reporting to you at the end of each stage"],"out":["Stages after the ones agreed here (a revised agreement first)","Appeals and enforcement of a judgment","Claims against anyone other than the builder"]},"stages":[{"no":1,"stage":"Advice, letter of demand and negotiation","low":3800,"high":5200,"amount":4400,"disb":[{"item":"Title and company searches","amount":68}]},{"no":2,"stage":"Tribunal 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Costs agreement & engagement letter
Costs agreement: Hartley v Brennock Constructions
Prepared for Jacob Hartley · LG-2431 · by Daniel Ferreira, Senior associate
1. Scope of our work
What we will do
- The stages of the dispute agreed in this document
- Correspondence and negotiation with the builder's lawyers
- Briefing counsel and the expert, with your approval
- Reporting to you at the end of each stage
Not included
- Stages after the ones agreed here (a revised agreement first)
- Appeals and enforcement of a judgment
- Claims against anyone other than the builder
2. Our costs Staged estimate
| Item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Professional fees | ||
Stage 1: Advice, letter of demand and negotiation
|
Estimate | $4,400.00$3,800–$5,200 |
Stage 2: Tribunal application and pleadings
|
Estimate | $7,600.00$6,500–$9,000 |
| Disbursements At cost, as incurred | ||
Title and company searchesEstimate
|
At cost | $68.00 |
Application filing feeEstimate
|
At cost | $420.00 |
- Professional fees (estimate)
- $12,000.00
- Tax on fees (10%)
- $1,200.00
- Disbursements, at cost
- $488.00
- Estimated total
- $13,688.00
- Estimated range
- $11,818 to $16,108
- Payment on signing
- $2,500.00
Hourly rates ex tax
- Principal$560/h
- Senior associate$420/h
- Lawyer$310/h
- Law clerk$180/h
Later stages Disclosed now, estimate only
- Stage 3: Evidence, expert report and mediation$9,000–$14,000
- Stage 4: Hearing preparation and a two-day hearing$14,000–$22,000
Before a later stage starts, we send you a revised agreement to sign.
3. Standard terms Locked block
- Our standard terms of engagement form part of this agreement.
- Disbursements are passed on at cost, including any tax charged to us.
- We tell you in writing before any work outside the scope is charged.
4. Accept and sign 2 of 2 signed
- JH Jacob HartleyClient Passcode verified Signed
- EH Ellen HartleyGuarantor of costs Passcode verified Signed
Each signer gets the agreement by email and enters a one-time passcode before signing.
, enter the passcode sent to . Demo code: 482 917
That code doesn't match. Use the demo code above.
Passcode verified. , sign below.
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
A demo with a fictional firm and clients: nothing is sent, stored or charged. Each stage's figure is the firm's own estimate; QuoteCloud never updates an estimate by itself. The passcode is QuoteCloud's optional one-time email passcode and is not an identity check. Payments go to the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects. QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account; check your own trust-money rules before taking payments for future costs.
Every new estimate is a document the client signs
How one matter's costs agreement might move through the dispute. Each version is signed, or revised before anyone signs it.
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v1
LG-2431 Signed
28 October 2026
Stage 1: advice, demand and negotiation
The first agreement. Later stages disclosed as ranges only.
Agreed in this version$3,800–$5,200
Jacob Hartley · Ellen Hartley
Signed after a passcode
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v2
LG-2431-2 Signed
3 February 2027
Revised: the tribunal application
Negotiation didn't settle it. A new document from the last version adds stage 2 and is signed before the application is filed.
Agreed in this version$10,300–$14,200
Jacob Hartley · Ellen Hartley
A new document, signed
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v3
LG-2431-3 Sent, not yet signed
18 March 2027
Stage 3, with a higher expert fee
Sent with stage 3, then the expert's quote came in higher. Revise Last Version updates the sent agreement before anyone signs.
Agreed in this version$19,300–$28,200 if signed
Revise Last Version
Version history: Business plan
Our drawing of one firm's process: when a stage starts, and whether to revise or send a new document, is the lawyer's decision. QuoteCloud keeps each signed document with its certificate; earlier versions of a revised document stay in its history.
Send your next stage estimate from QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card. We convert your litigation costs agreement into a template during the trial.
Counsel's fee proposal, accepted the same way
Barristers and their clerks can send fee proposals from QuoteCloud too. Here a fictional barrister quotes a brief fee and a refresher for the two-day hearing, with a pre-hearing conference as an option, and the instructing lawyer signs to accept it.
The firm then shows counsel's fees as a disbursement in the client's agreement for the hearing stage.
- A brief fee and refresher as fixed lines
- Optional conference at an hourly estimate
- Accepted online by the instructing lawyer
Counsel's fees Two-day hearing
| Item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||
Brief fee, including the first hearing dayPreparation and day one
|
Fixed | $5,500.00 |
Refresher, second hearing dayPer day
|
Fixed | $3,300.00 |
| Hourly | $1,350.00$900–$1,800 | |
- Professional fees
- $8,800.00
- Tax on fees (10%)
- $880.00
- Total
- $9,680.00
- Estimated range
- $9,680 to $9,680
Hourly rates ex tax
- Counsel$450/h
Work outside the brief at the hourly rate, agreed with the instructing lawyer first.
Accepted by the instructing lawyer 1 of 1 signed
- DF Daniel FerreiraSenior associate, Thistlewood Marsh Passcode verified Signed · 31 Oct, 10:22 am
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Moving a matter to its next stage
- 1
Report on the stage
Tell the client where the matter stands, as you do now.
- 2
Update the estimate
Copy the last agreement, mark the next stage agreed and update the ranges for the stages after it.
- 3
Add counsel and experts
Their fees go in as disbursements, with approval first where your agreement says so.
- 4
Revise before signing
If something changes after sending, Revise Last Version updates the agreement before anyone signs.
- 5
Both parties sign
The client and any guarantor of costs sign online, each after an optional passcode.
Litigation estimate questions, answered
How do we show a litigation estimate by stage?
Set out each stage with a low and high estimate, mark the stage the agreement covers as agreed and the later ones as estimates only, with the total range to a hearing. The agreed stage goes in the price table with its range, and counsel's and experts' fees go in as disbursements.
How do we update an estimate when the matter moves on?
Before a document is signed, Revise Last Version updates it and keeps the earlier version in its history. Once it is signed, the next stage goes out as a new document for the client to sign. Version history is on the Business plan. QuoteCloud never updates an estimate by itself.
Can a guarantor of costs sign the same agreement?
Yes. Add the guarantor as a second signer with their own signature block. Each party signs from their own email link, optionally after a one-time passcode, and the document shows who has signed and who hasn't. The passcode is not an identity check.
Can barristers send fee proposals from QuoteCloud?
Yes. A barrister or clerk can send a fee proposal as its own document, with a brief fee, refreshers and optional work, for the instructing lawyer to accept and sign online. The firm then shows counsel's fees as a disbursement in its own agreement with the client.
Does QuoteCloud record time or bill each stage?
No. QuoteCloud sets out and records the agreement, its signatures and any payment on signing. Time recording and the bills for each stage come from your practice-management or accounting system.
Does QuoteCloud know the court's costs rules?
No. The stages, ranges and disclosure wording are your firm's own, and QuoteCloud gives no legal advice. Keep your approved wording in library blocks so every estimate starts from it.
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