# Price a legal matter as a flat or alternative fee

Turns past matter data and a scope into a flat, phased, or capped fee proposal with assumptions, change triggers, and margin check.

- Topic: Sales
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Legal, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/price-a-legal-matter-as-a-flat-or-alternative-fee

## Prompt

```text
Help me price a legal matter as a flat fee or other alternative fee arrangement.

**Matter type and scope:** [e.g. "single-plaintiff employment case through summary judgment"]
**Historical data from similar matters:** [PASTE - hours by phase and timekeeper, total fees, outcomes - or "limited"]
**Our standard rates:** [BY TIMEKEEPER LEVEL]
**Target margin or realization:** [e.g. "at least 90% of standard value"]
**What the client cares about:** [budget certainty / lowest cost / speed / outcome]
**Fee structures I am open to:** [flat / phased flat / capped / blended rate / success fee / contingency hybrid]

Do the following:
1. Break the matter into phases (e.g. intake and pleadings, discovery, motions, trial prep) and estimate hours by timekeeper for each, using low, expected, and high cases from my data. Show your math.
2. Propose two or three fee structures with the fee per phase, what triggers moving to the next phase, and how we are protected if scope changes.
3. List the assumptions that drive the price (number of depositions, document volume, experts, opposing counsel behavior) and the change-order trigger for each.
4. Show margin at low, expected, and high effort for each option.
5. Note ethics checks: fees must be reasonable, flat fees and advance fees must be handled correctly under my state's trust rules, and contingency or success fees may need written terms and are restricted in some matter types (e.g. criminal and many family law matters).

Return: a pricing table, a client-facing one-page fee proposal, and an internal risk note. Do not invent historical data; mark gaps [ADD DATA]. Verify trust-account and fee rules for my state.
```

## What to fill in

- BY TIMEKEEPER LEVEL
- e.g. "at least 90% of standard value"
- budget certainty / lowest cost / speed / outcome
- ADD DATA

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