Tools Contingency Math
Reverse Authority Calculator
A two-sided contingency calculator. Work backward from your client’s target take-home to the authority you actually need—or, from the other side of the table, see what a demand really puts in the plaintiff’s pocket.
Not legal advice. Use this calculator at your own risk. It can contain calculation errors and should not be relied upon for legal advice. Always confirm settlement authority with your client in writing.
Every figure stays in your browser—nothing is uploaded, logged, or shared. Your latest inputs are saved on this device, so you can pick up where you left off.
01 Plaintiff’s Counsel
Find Your Settlement Authority
Enter the amount your client wants to keep. We’ll solve for the gross settlement you’d need so that, after fees and costs, they still walk away whole.
Uses 0.3333… rather than the rounded percentage; it can shift the result slightly.
Gross: the fee is a percentage of the entire settlement (the default). Net of costs: costs come out first, then the fee applies to what remains.
If your client has authorized $100,000.00 in their pocket, your authority is $168,333.33, inclusive of fees and costs.
- Client’s pocket $100,000.00
- Attorneys’ fee $67,333.33
- Costs $1,000.00
- Settlement authority (gross)
- $168,333.33
- Attorneys’ fee (40%)
- −$67,333.33
- Litigation costs
- −$1,000.00
- Client nets
- $100,000.00
Your client keeps ≈ 59% of the gross.
02 Defense Counsel
Estimate the Plaintiff’s Net
Enter the demand on the table. We’ll estimate how much actually reaches the plaintiff once their counsel’s fee and costs come off the top.
Uses 0.3333… rather than the rounded percentage; it can shift the result slightly.
Gross: the fee is a percentage of the entire demand (the default). Net of costs: costs come out first, then the fee applies to the remainder.
A $100,000.00 demand leaves the plaintiff about $59,000.00 after a 40% fee and costs.
- Plaintiff’s pocket $59,000.00
- Attorneys’ fees $40,000.00
- Costs $1,000.00
- Demand (gross)
- $100,000.00
- Attorneys’ fees (40%)
- −$40,000.00
- Litigation costs
- −$1,000.00
- Plaintiff nets
- $59,000.00
Plaintiff keeps ≈ 59% of the demand.
A Note on These Numbers
These figures are planning estimates—not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Each calculator assumes a single contingency rate and the cost treatment you select; it doesn’t account for liens, multiple fee tiers, statutory fee-shifting, taxes, or costs advanced by others. Confirm every number against the governing fee agreement before relying on it.