Should Your Law Firm Publish Fees Online? A Pricing Transparency Guide

12 September 2026·5 min read

Quick answer: Publish fees for the services that are genuinely predictable — think fixed-fee conveyancing or a simple will — and use a "from $X" range for anything, like family law or litigation, where the real cost depends on the matter. Hiding all pricing tends to cost firms enquiries from people who were ready to book; publishing a false-precision number for a variable matter causes a different problem later. Below is a decision framework, a copy formula, and three worked examples. ✨

"Contact us for a quote" is the phrase that quietly loses a law firm the exact client it wants — someone organised enough to compare three firms online before calling any of them. If your competitor shows a number and you show a form, you've lost that comparison before the phone even rings. 💖

Please note: general information, not legal advice — check current official guidance before relying on it.

What most firms get wrong

Treating "publish fees" as all-or-nothing — you can be transparent about fixed-fee work and still say "it depends" honestly about complex matters.
Quoting a number with no context — a bare "$800" with no explanation of what it covers invites the wrong assumptions.
Overcorrecting into total secrecy — no pricing information at all, on the theory that every matter is too unique to generalise.
Copying a competitor's number — publishing a figure that doesn't reflect your own costs or service just to look competitive.
Setting it once and never revisiting — a "from" price that hasn't moved in three years while costs clearly have.

The decision framework

Sort every service you offer into one of two buckets before deciding what to publish:

Fixed-fee bucket (publish a clear "from $X"): services with a predictable, repeatable scope — simple wills, standard conveyancing, uncontested probate, basic business structuring.

Variable bucket (publish a range, a starting point, or a clear explanation of what drives cost — not a false single number): services where scope depends on the other side, the court, or how contested things get — family law, litigation, complex commercial disputes.

Once you know which bucket a service sits in, the copy formula below tells you what to actually write for each one.

The "from $X" copy formula

[Service name] from $[price], including [what's included]. [What can add cost or change the scope]. [How to get an exact figure] — [next step].

For example: "Standard will from $450, including one consultation and drafting. Couples' wills or more complex estates are quoted separately. Book a free 15-minute call and we'll confirm your exact fee before you commit."

Worked examples

Notice the fixed-fee services get a confident number; the variable ones get an honest range and a clear next step instead. 🌴

Wills & estate firm: "Simple will from $450, mirror wills for couples from $650, including drafting and one review meeting. Complex estates with trusts or overseas assets are quoted after a short call." Clear, confident, and it filters in the right enquiries.

Family law firm: "Initial consultation from $250, fixed. Ongoing matters are quoted individually once we understand what's involved, because contested and uncontested matters cost very differently. We'll always give you an estimate before work begins." No false number, but no dead end either.

Conveyancing firm: "Standard residential purchase or sale from $990 plus disbursements. Off-the-plan and commercial transactions are quoted separately." Fixed-fee work published with confidence, complex work carved out clearly.

How to roll this out on your website

Add pricing to each practice area page rather than one buried "fees" page — it needs to sit where someone is already deciding whether to enquire. Keep fixed-fee numbers current (review at least twice a year, or whenever costs shift), and always pair a published price with what it includes, so "from $X" reads as a genuine starting point rather than a bait-and-switch. For variable services, replace the number with a clear explanation of what drives cost, so the page still feels transparent even without a figure.

💡 Heads up: Whatever you publish, make sure it matches what your team actually quotes on the phone — a published "from" price that never matches reality erodes trust faster than publishing no price at all.

Mistakes to avoid once you start publishing

Rounding down to look cheap — a number that's rarely achievable in practice creates awkward first conversations.
Forgetting disbursements — court filing fees, search costs and similar extras should be flagged, not sprung on the client later.
Publishing a range so wide it's meaningless — "$500–$50,000" tells a prospective client nothing useful.
Inconsistent numbers across platforms — a different figure on your website than on your GBP or a directory listing looks careless.

Frequently asked questions

Will publishing fees online scare away serious clients?

Generally the opposite — clients researching lawyers online tend to see a lack of any pricing information as a red flag, not a sign of premium service. Serious clients are usually the ones comparing options carefully, which means they're exactly who benefits from clear, upfront numbers.

What if our fees genuinely vary too much to publish anything?

That's exactly what the variable bucket is for — publish a starting consultation fee, an explanation of what drives cost, and a promise of an estimate before work begins, rather than nothing at all. Transparency about "it depends" is still transparency.

Are there rules about how legal fees must be advertised?

There can be specific requirements depending on your jurisdiction and practice area, around cost disclosure, estimates and client agreements — this varies and changes, so check current professional conduct and costs disclosure requirements for your region rather than relying on general marketing advice for the legal detail.

Should we show an hourly rate as well as fixed fees?

It depends on your positioning — some firms publish hourly rates for complex work to set expectations, others prefer to keep hourly work strictly quote-based and only publish fixed fees for predictable services. Neither is universally right; pick whichever keeps your published pricing honest.

Keep reading 🤍

Written by

Kate, founder of Chronically Online

I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.

Work with me ✦