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How Much Does a Civil Lawsuit Cost?

The cost of a civil lawsuit depends heavily on (i) the scope of the legal and factual issues involved; (ii) the amount of information that needs to be exchanged and reviewed in discovery; and (iii) the willingness of both parties to engage in meaningful settlement negotiations early in the process.

If you are paying your attorney by the hour, the following are rough guidelines for the time you should expect your attorney to spend:

• Researching, drafting and filing the complaint: 15-20 hours.
  
• Responding to a complaint (including investigating the facts): 15-20 hours
  
• Drafting written discovery: 5-10 hours
  
• Responding to written discovery: 5-10 hours for the written documents.  It is not possible to predict the amount of time to review and produce documents, as the volume of documents varies from case to case.
  

• Taking or defending depositions:  12 hours per deposition, including preparation.  Remember there are additional out of pocket costs for the court reporter, generally $500-$1,000 per deposition.
  
• Drafting or Responding to a Summary Judgment motion: 20-30 hours.
  
• Trial and Trial Preparation: 10 hours a day for each day of trial time, and 12 hours a day for the same number of days in preparation.
  

If you are on a contingent fee agreement, these hourly amounts may affect the amount of the fee that is contingent on you recovering damages.  You also will likely have to cover the out of pocket costs for depositions.

Learn more here about what to expect as a defendant in a civil suit in Massachusetts.

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