Criminal Defense Cost Calculator

This calculator builds an attorney-fee estimate by combining three independent multipliers against a base fee anchored to the type of criminal charge. The base fee ranges from $4,000 for a drug possession case up to $50,000 for a homicide charge, reflecting national median fee-survey data for a moderate-complexity plea. That base is then multiplied by a complexity factor (0.6x for simple facts up to 3.0x for highly complex cases needing extensive discovery), an attorney-tier factor (public defenders are free at 0x; large or prestigious firms run 3.5x a solo practitioner's rate), and a jurisdiction cost index you set directly to reflect regional cost-of-living differences. If the case is expected to go to trial rather than resolve in a plea, the calculator applies a further 2.5x multiplier on top of everything else, capturing how dramatically trial preparation — voir dire, expert testimony, extended motion practice — inflates legal costs compared to a negotiated plea.

Expert witness costs are priced separately at roughly $5,000 per witness (scaled by the same jurisdiction index) and investigation costs are estimated as 15% of total attorney fees. Court costs and filing fees are a flat estimate that jumps from $500 to $2,500 if trial is expected, reflecting the added transcript, jury, and administrative costs a trial generates. The tool also back-calculates an implied hours estimate by dividing total attorney fees by each tier's typical hourly rate, and reports the federal public-defender income-eligibility threshold (125% of the federal poverty line) as a reference point. Actual attorney fees vary enormously by individual practitioner, region, and negotiating leverage — always get multiple quotes rather than relying solely on this estimate.