“A lawyer’s favorite words: ‘It depends.”
We don’t get paid until you get paid.” It’s one of the most recognizable slogans in legal advertising. While it may sound reassuring, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The lawyer’s final bill may still be eye-popping!
Hiring a lawyer can be one of the smartest investments you make—or one of the most confusing. Many clients are surprised when they receive their first legal bill and discover they are being charged for much more than just courtroom appearances or drafting documents.
The reality is simple: law firms sell time, expertise, and responsibility. Every phone call, email, document review, meeting, and court appearance represents professional work that may be billable.
Here’s how legal billing typically works and how lawyers make their money:
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The Hourly Billing Model—Every Minute Counts
The most common billing method is the hourly rate.
Lawyers charge an hourly fee that varies according to their experience, specialty, and location. A junior associate may bill a few hundred dollars per hour, while a senior partner or specialist may charge well over a thousand dollars per hour in some markets.
Most firms don’t simply charge by the hour. Instead, they record time in small increments, commonly:
- Every 6 minutes (0.1 hour)
- Every 15 minutes (0.25 hour)
- Occasionally every minute using sophisticated time-tracking software
For example:
- Reading your email: 6–12 minutes
- Replying to your email: another 6–18 minutes
- Reviewing documents you sent: 24 minutes
- Telephone discussion: actual time spent
- Researching your legal issue: 1.5 hours
- Preparing a letter: 30 minutes
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Every Communication May Be Billable
Many clients assume only meetings are charged.
In reality, lawyers often bill for:
- Reading emails
- Writing emails
- Telephone calls
- Video meetings
- Reviewing voicemail
- Following up with opposing counsel
- Conversations with experts
Even a five-minute phone call can appear on your invoice.
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Legal Research
One of the biggest components of legal fees is research.
Lawyers may spend hours studying legislation, reviewing previous court decisions, checking recent legal developments and preparing legal opinions
Although you may never see this work happening, it forms the foundation of quality legal advice.
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Document Preparation
Drafting legal documents is often time-intensive. The final document may be only five pages long, but it may represent several hours of drafting, editing, reviewing, and proofreading.
This includes:
- Contracts
- Affidavits
- Court pleadings
- Motions
- Settlement agreements
- Demand letters
- Wills and Corporate documents
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Administrative Charges and Office Expenses
Besides professional fees, many firms bill clients for administrative expenses. Some firms charge these separately, while others include them in a general administrative fee.
These may include:
- Photocopying
- Printing
- Scanning
- Binding documents
- Postage
- Courier services
- Long-distance telephone charges
- File storage
- Court filing fees
- Printing large document and specialized legal forms
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Travel Time and Court Appearances
If a lawyer must travel to court, the client’s office or other agencies, that travel time may be billed.
Some firms charge the full hourly rate during travel, while others charge a reduced rate.
Court work involves much more than the time spent before the judge. Lawyers often bill for preparing submissions, reviewing evidence, meeting witnesses and waiting for the case to be called.
A one-hour court appearance may generate several hours of billable work.
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Retainers
Many lawyers ask clients to pay a retainer before work begins. A retainer is not the lawyer’s fee.
It is an advance deposit placed into a trust account. As work is completed, the lawyer transfers earned fees from the trust account and sends the client an invoice.
If the retainer is exhausted, the client is usually required to replenish it before additional work continues.
Why Legal Fees Can Seem Expensive
Clients sometimes focus on the hourly rate without considering what it represents.
When you hire a lawyer, you’re paying not only for the time spent on your file but also for:
- Years of legal education
- Professional licensing
- Continuing legal education
- Legal research tools
- Professional liability insurance
- Office staff
- Secure technology
- Ethical and regulatory compliance
- Experience gained from handling similar cases
In many situations, what takes an experienced lawyer one hour may save a client weeks of frustration—or prevent a costly legal mistake.
How Clients Can Reduce Their Legal Bills
You can often control legal costs by working efficiently with your lawyer.
Some practical tips include:
- Combine questions into one email instead of sending several throughout the day.
- Organize documents before sending them.
- Respond promptly to requests for information.
- Be clear about your objectives.
- Avoid unnecessary meetings.
- Ask for an estimate before significant work begins.
- Review invoices regularly and ask questions if something is unclear.
What do judges have to say about lawyers over-billing?
“Public confidence in the administration of justice requires the court to intervene where necessary to protect the client’s right to a fair procedure for the assessment of a solicitor’s bill.” Ontario Court of Appeal in Price v. Sonsini (2002)
“If the courts permit lawyers to avoid the scrutiny of their accounts for fairness and reasonableness, the administration of justice will be brought into disrepute.” The Law of Costs: by Mark M. Orkin
“When a client pays an account, he or she is presumed to have accepted the account as proper and reasonable. This creates a rebuttable presumption that the account is reasonable.” Master Pope in Davisville Bridge & Road Works Limited v. Kramer Simann Dhillon LLP (2015)
Can you dispute your lawyer’s bill?
Harvard certified Toronto family lawyer Steve Benmor says, “yes you can. Under Ontario law, lawyers cannot overcharge clients.
Benmor explained: “Lawyers cannot overcharge their clients. If you think your legal bill is unfair, you generally have 30 days to ask the court to assess it. An Assessment Officer will review the account and determine whether the fees are reasonable.
“The bill may be reduced, or it may be upheld, but every client has the right to an independent review. And the Assessment Officer’s decision is binding on the lawyer.”
Jennifer Biernaskie, Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Ethics and Professional Responsibility Subcommittee, also says one of the biggest challenges in the lawyer-client relationship is discussing money openly.
“It’s an area where there are a lot of complaints from clients received by the law societies. Especially for junior or sole practitioners.”
The Law Society of Ontario recommends that lawyers explain, in writing, how fees and disbursements will be calculated, whether billing is hourly, flat fee or contingency, the amount of any retainer, and provide an estimate of expected legal costs whenever practical.
Henrietta Osodi-Nwomeh, a U.S based Attorney and a Council Member, Advocacy and Protective Services Inc. Columbus Ohio, further explained:
“There is a common misconception that lawyers routinely charge excessive fees. In reality, many clients underestimate the time, expertise, preparation, and resources required to provide effective legal representation.
Legal costs often extend beyond an attorney’s professional fees. Court filing fees, administrative expenses, expert witnesses, document preparation, and other case-related costs may arise as a matter progresses, and these are typically separate from representational fees.
The good news is that clients are not without options. They should ask prospective lawyers to explain their fee structure upfront. Depending on the nature of the case, some attorneys offer flat fees, sliding-scale arrangements based on a client’s financial circumstances, payment plans, or even pro bono representation for qualifying individuals.
An emerging development is third-party legal financing, which allows eligible clients to spread the cost of legal services over time.
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Steve Benmor: Home – Benmor Assessment Advocates
