How the litigation calculators work together
For a settlement matter, the calculators can be used as a simple sequence. First, calculate the attorney fee using the Contingency Fee Calculator and the fee terms that actually apply. Second, use the Lien Reduction Calculator to measure any negotiated payoff or reduction. Third, enter the final fee, costs, liens, credits, and other deductions in the Settlement Distribution Calculator to estimate the amount available to the client.
The Legal Deadline & Date Calculator serves a different purpose. Use it as a date-arithmetic worksheet when you already know the rule that controls the deadline. It does not decide whether a rule uses calendar days, court days, business days, service extensions, or a particular holiday calendar.
When to use each calculator
Settlement Distribution Calculator
Use the settlement calculator near the end of a matter when you are assembling the dollars that flow through the settlement. Start with the gross recovery, then enter the attorney fee, reimbursable case expenses, medical or other liens, client advances, other deductions, and any credits. The result is an estimated net amount to the client.
This calculator is especially useful for scenario comparisons. For example, you can compare how a lower lien payoff, an additional case expense, or a different fee base changes the estimated client recovery before preparing the final disbursement paperwork. Open the Settlement Distribution Calculator →
Contingency Fee Calculator
Use the contingency fee calculator when the recovery amount is known but you still need the dollar amount of the percentage fee. The calculator supports a fee based on the gross recovery or a recovery amount after entered costs, depending on the terms you select.
The calculator does not determine whether a particular fee percentage or calculation method is legally permitted. Confirm the signed fee agreement and any controlling rule before using the figure in a final statement. Open the Contingency Fee Calculator →
Lien Reduction Calculator
Use the lien calculator when an original asserted balance and a negotiated payoff are both known, or when you want to test a proposed percentage reduction. It shows the reduction amount, effective reduction percentage, and the difference that the reduction can make to funds otherwise available for distribution.
It can be used for medical liens, provider balances, reimbursement claims, or another negotiated claim amount, but it does not determine whether a lien is valid, enforceable, or entitled to priority. Open the Lien Reduction Calculator →
Legal Deadline & Date Calculator
Use the date calculator only after identifying the correct deadline rule. Choose whether to add or subtract days, whether the count uses calendar days or Monday–Friday business days, and whether the start date should be included. You can also count the elapsed days between two dates.
Because court and agency calendars vary, the tool does not automatically exclude legal holidays or apply jurisdiction-specific service extensions. Verify the result against the applicable rule and calendar. Open the Legal Deadline & Date Calculator →
A practical settlement-calculation workflow
- Confirm the recovery figure. Start with the actual settlement, judgment, or other recovery amount shown in the controlling documents.
- Confirm the fee terms. Use the signed fee agreement to determine the percentage and whether costs affect the fee base, then check the amount in the Contingency Fee Calculator.
- Reconcile case expenses. Match entered costs to the firm's ledger, invoices, advances, and reimbursements.
- Resolve lien figures. Compare original balances with final payoff letters using the Lien Reduction Calculator.
- Assemble the distribution. Bring the confirmed fee, costs, liens, deductions, and credits into the Settlement Distribution Calculator.
- Reconcile before disbursement. Compare the worksheet result with trust-account records, settlement documents, payoff letters, and the final client statement before funds are released.
What these calculators do not decide
These tools intentionally avoid legal conclusions. They do not determine a valid contingency-fee percentage, whether a lien is enforceable, which costs may be charged to a client, how trust funds must be handled, or which deadline-counting rule controls a filing. Those questions can depend on the agreement, matter, court, agency, statute, regulation, ethics rule, or jurisdiction.
Keeping the calculators rule-neutral makes them easier to maintain and more useful as arithmetic and checking tools across different offices.
Related litigation and law-office tools
For plain-English definitions of settlement, fee, lien, and deadline terminology, use the Litigation Glossary. If a matter involves an unpaid judgment, use the separate Judgment Interest Calculator to calculate simple interest and a per-diem amount from the rate you enter. For other practice areas, browse the Free Legal Tools, including Real Estate Closing Calculators and Estate & Gift Tax Resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the litigation calculators on LawFirmSoftware.com?
They are free browser-based arithmetic tools for common litigation-office tasks: estimating settlement distributions, calculating contingency fees from user-entered terms, measuring lien reductions, and counting legal dates or business days. They do not determine the governing law or replace review of the applicable agreement, statute, rule, court order, or agency instruction.
Which litigation calculator should I use first?
For a settlement matter, start with the Contingency Fee Calculator if you need to determine the attorney-fee amount from the fee agreement. Use the Lien Reduction Calculator when comparing an original lien with a negotiated payoff. Then use the Settlement Distribution Calculator to bring the fee, costs, liens, credits, and other deductions together into an estimated client distribution. The Legal Deadline & Date Calculator is separate and is used for date arithmetic.
When should I use the Settlement Distribution Calculator?
Use it when you know the gross settlement or recovery and want a worksheet showing the estimated amount remaining after attorney fees, case costs, medical liens, other liens, advances, deductions, and credits. It is useful for scenario checking before preparing a final settlement statement or disbursement sheet.
Does the Contingency Fee Calculator determine what attorney fee is legally allowed?
No. It calculates a fee from the percentage, recovery amount, and cost treatment that you enter. The permitted fee and the correct calculation base may depend on the signed fee agreement, client matter, jurisdiction, court rule, statute, or other authority. Verify those terms before relying on the result.
When should I use the Lien Reduction Calculator?
Use it when a lien holder, medical provider, insurer, or other claimant agrees to accept less than the original asserted amount. The calculator compares the original lien with the reduced payoff, shows the dollar and percentage reduction, and can help illustrate how the reduction changes the amount available to the client.
Does the Legal Deadline & Date Calculator include court holidays?
No. The business-day option counts Monday through Friday and can adjust a result that lands on a weekend, but it does not automatically apply federal, state, local, court, agency, or firm-specific holidays. Always verify the actual deadline rule and applicable holiday calendar.
Are these litigation calculators state specific?
No. The calculators are intentionally jurisdiction-neutral. They use the percentages, amounts, dates, and assumptions entered by the user instead of hard-coding state fee limits, lien rules, court calendars, statutory rates, or other rules that may change.
Can I use the calculator result as the final settlement or legal accounting?
Use the result as a checking and planning worksheet. Before issuing funds, filing a document, or communicating a final legal deadline or accounting, reconcile the result to the signed fee agreement, settlement documents, invoices, lien payoff letters, trust records, court rules, and other controlling source documents.