California civil litigation budget — by phase.
Most law firms won’t put a number on this. We will. Pick the claim type, value, complexity, and discovery scope; see the phase-by-phase fee range for a California civil litigation matter from intake through trial.
About the matter
Written or oral agreement at the center; clean factual record common.
Two-to-three parties, layered claims, some expert work likely, normal discovery scope.
Full set of standard interrogatories + RFPs, 4–6 depositions, normal document review.
Most California civil cases settle before trial. Stopping the budget at discovery or motion practice models a settlement scenario.
Total estimated fees
$102,500 – $387,000
Through trial (5–10 day jury trial). Mid-point estimate: $244,750.
Phase breakdown
Intake, conflict check & initial investigation
$1,500 – $4,000
Conflict check under Cal. RPC 1.7, initial fact gathering, document review, scope-of-engagement scoping, drafting of the engagement letter.
Pre-litigation demand & meet-and-confer
$3,000 – $8,000
Demand letter, response review, settlement-discussion correspondence, optional pre-filing mediation. A meaningful share of business disputes resolve here.
Pleadings (complaint or answer / demurrer / motion to strike)
$4,000 – $15,000
Filing the complaint or, on the defense side, evaluating and filing the responsive pleading. Includes any meet-and-confer required by CCP § 430.41.
Written discovery (interrogatories, RFPs, RFAs)
$12,000 – $45,000
Drafting and propounding written discovery; reviewing and responding to opposing discovery; document production; meet-and-confer letters.
Depositions (party and third-party witnesses)
$15,000 – $60,000
Taking and defending depositions, deposition prep, deposition summaries, related subpoenas. Court-reporter and videographer fees are separate (cost, not fee).
Motion practice (compel, MSJ, summary adjudication)
$12,000 – $50,000
Motions to compel, motions for summary judgment / summary adjudication, motions in limine, opposing motions filed by the other side.
Trial preparation
$20,000 – $75,000
Mandatory settlement conference prep, trial-brief drafting, exhibit prep, jury instructions, witness prep, demonstratives, technology setup.
Trial (5–10 day jury trial)
$35,000 – $130,000
In-court time, daily prep during trial, jury deliberation period. Trials shorter or longer than the typical mid-tier case scale this phase up or down significantly.
Post-trial motions
Not included
Motions for new trial, motions for JNOV, motions to tax costs, attorney fee motions, prejudgment interest.
Costs are separate. Filing fees ($435–$650 unlimited civil), service-of-process ($75–$200), court reporter (~$3,000–$8,000 per deposition), videographer (~$1,200–$2,500 per deposition), expert witness fees (highly variable; budget $15,000–$100,000+ for a typical mid-tier matter), mediator (~$5,000–$15,000 for a single-day session), and e-discovery vendor (case-dependent) are all costs, not fees.
Estimator only — actual engagements are scoped to the facts. These ranges reflect mid-tier California civil-litigation pricing for a quality non-megafirm. Think Legal, P.C. prices transactional matters flat-fee and litigation matters phase-by-phase — your actual engagement letter will state specific numbers, not ranges. Fees only; costs (filing fees, expert witnesses, court reporters, mediators, e-discovery vendors, travel) are separate.
What drives variance: opposing counsel posture, your evidence quality, the defendant’s appetite for early settlement, judicial department assignment, and how much of the work you can do yourself (organizing documents, identifying witnesses, tracking the timeline). Engaged clients always pay less in total than disengaged ones.
The case evaluation is the next step.
Cal. RPC 1.7 conflicts, then we read the file with you and propose a phase-priced engagement letter. No commitment, no pitch.