How to use the attorney fee award calculator
Korea lets a winning party add part of its lawyer bill to recoverable litigation costs under a Supreme Court rule schedule. The United States starts from the opposite premise. Under the American Rule each party pays its own attorney fees, and 28 U.S.C. 1920 pointedly leaves attorney fees off the list of taxable costs. Shifting fees requires a statute or a contract clause.
When a fee-shifting statute does apply, such as 42 U.S.C. 1988 for civil rights claims, 29 U.S.C. 216(b) under the FLSA or 17 U.S.C. 505 in copyright cases, courts start with the lodestar: hours reasonably expended multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424 (1983) allows a reduction when success was partial, and Perdue v. Kenny A., 559 U.S. 542 (2010) treats enhancements as rare. Suits against the federal government run through the Equal Access to Justice Act, 28 U.S.C. 2412(d)(2)(A), whose statutory base rate of $125 per hour is adjusted for cost of living.
Rates, caps and local rules differ by court and by state, so treat the output as a planning estimate current as of September 2026. This calculator is for reference only and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Not by itself. Without a fee-shifting statute or a contract clause, the American Rule leaves each side paying its own fees even after a complete victory.
It is the hours reasonably expended multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate for the market. Courts may then adjust it, most often downward for limited success.