How much does it cost to sue in federal court?
I spoke to three attorneys in the area about how much it would cost to pursue a civil rights case through federal court. Two of them said about $10,000 through $20,000, because although a case may take years, the attorney is not spending anywhere near all of his/her working hours on the case. The third one said about $150,000 to $200,000, and that there is no chance to do it for less than that. He acknowledged that not every working hour was spent on one case, but still said that there is no chance for any attorney to represent one party through an entire federal court lawsuit for under $150,000.
This is perplexing. Which opinion seems more accurate?
$20,000 would be about right for a a couple of weeks of solid work. Then you would be expected to pay more. And more. And more. Unless the lawsuit is really good and the other side (usually the government) caves in and settles.
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Well, it only costs about $400.00 to file the suit yourself. Plus service costs.
But if you want an attorney to represent you, it'll be anywhere from $250.00 per hour to $500.00 + per hour. Depends on how complex the case is.
It is not even remotely unreasonable to estimate $200,000.00 for attorney's fees for some cases - and two hundred thousand isn't even the lowest I've heard about. It can easily get into the millions with complex cases requiring multiple lawyers, a bevy of experts, and fleets of paralegals.
The only ethical requirement is that the fee be reasonable. In some cases, $20,000.00 is reasonable, in some cases, $2 million is reasonable.
No one can predict with certainty which class your case falls into.
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Joel Gary Selik
Ethics / Professional Responsibility Lawyer in Las Vegas, NVNote, this is only general information, not legal advice.
Joel Gary Selik
Ethics / Professional Responsibility Lawyer in Las Vegas, NVWe may not accept cases in this question and answer forum. Use the Avvo search tool to find an experienced attorney.