The Total Cost of Litigation (TCL) calculator is a fast, free tool that gives you a realistic estimate for any dispute with financial stakes between $10,000 and $2,000,000.
It accounts for:
- Forum — jury trial, bench trial, or binding arbitration
- Parties — number of claimants and defendants
- Claims and issues — how many distinct legal theories are in play
- Witnesses and documents — the evidentiary footprint
- Emotional intensity — a real driver of cost
- Expert testimony — number of subject-matter areas
The output is a range — low, likely, and high — so you can see what a realistic, an optimistic, and a worst-case version of the fight would look like before you start.
Most people who use the calculator decide that even a 60% chance of winning at trial isn’t enough to justify the cost.
Use it before you sign a retainer.