Inputs you need for Attorney Fee in Brazil

Inputs you will need

To estimate (and document) attorney fees in Brazil with DocketMath’s attorney-fee calculator, you’ll typically gather a small set of case inputs that determine (1) the fee “mode” and (2) the economic base the calculation uses.

Use this checklist to collect what DocketMath needs for BR (Brazil):

• Choose the fee model that matches your workflow:

  • Contractual hourly / by stage
  • Contractual fixed fee
  • Contingency-based (if your agreement is structured this way)
  • Court-awarded fee expectation (if you’re estimating exposure or recoverable amounts)

• Provide the amount the fee is calculated on, such as:

  • Contested value (valor da causa) for many court-related projections
  • Settlement amount (if you’re estimating outcome-based fees)
  • Invoice / billing base (if your agreement uses hourly or milestone billing)

• If the fee model uses a percentage, provide the agreed percentage (e.g., 10%, 20%, etc.).

• If the fee model uses time:

  • **Hourly rate (R$ / hour)
  • Estimated billable hours

• For stage-based fees, list each milestone (e.g., demand letter, initial petition, evidence stage)

• Provide the fee per milestone or the stage percentage

• Enter the retainer amount (R$) if your contract requires one.

• Capture whether your fee inputs are:

  • **Gross (includes tax)
  • **Net (excludes tax)

• If you want itemized outputs, note the tax regime assumption you’re using (without changing legal characterization).

• Confirm amounts are in Brazilian reais (R$).

• Confirm you’re running the calculator in Brazil (BR) so DocketMath applies BR-specific rules and data mapping.

Gentle note: In Brazil, “attorney fees” can refer to different things depending on whether you’re modeling a contractual fee or an award of sucumbência. DocketMath can help structure the estimate, but your inputs must reflect which category you’re trying to calculate.

Where to find each input

Here’s a practical guide to locating each item in documents you already have:

Most inputs live in the case file, contracts, or docket entries. Dates usually come from the triggering event notice; rates and caps come from governing documents or statute; and amounts come from the ledger or judgment. Record the source for each value so the run is reproducible.

1) Case type / fee model

• Contract template (fixed-fee, hourly, contingency, milestone)
• Engagement letter or mandate document
• Internal billing policy (if your firm uses standard rates)

2) Fee basis (monetary base)

• Valor da causa appears in:

  • the initial petition (petição inicial)
  • procedural filings referencing the “value of the claim”
• Settlement amount appears in:

  • settlement agreement (acordo) or settlement proposals
• Billing base appears in:

  • scope/billing spreadsheet
  • invoice templates and time-entry reports

3) Percentage rate (if applicable)

• Fee clause in the attorney-client agreement
• Remuneration schedule for contingency or success fees
• Court-claim projections if you’re estimating based on a percentage range you expect to argue

4) Hourly rate + estimated hours (if applicable)

• Rate card (internal or contract exhibits)
• Time estimate from matter planning (project plan)
• Historical time entries for comparable matters

5) Milestones (if applicable)

• Scope-of-work section of the contract
• Docket/plan documents listing stages and deliverables

6) Retainer / advance

• Receipt / invoice for the retainer
• Payment confirmation or accounting ledger

7) Taxes / service charges handling

• Your invoice model
• Contract language on whether client-facing amounts are:

  • all-in, or
  • plus taxes

8) Currency

• Look for R$ formatting directly in:

  • petitions
  • agreements
  • invoices

Run it

Before you click calculate, make sure you map your inputs to the DocketMath attorney-fee tool in a way that matches your fee clause.

Enter the inputs in DocketMath and run the Attorney Fee calculation to generate a clean breakdown: Run the calculator.

Step-by-step workflow

1. Go to DocketMath → Attorney Fee calculator
   Primary CTA: /tools/attorney-fee
2. Confirm Jurisdiction: Brazil (BR).
3. Select the fee model that matches your documents:

   • If you choose a percentage-based model, DocketMath needs the percentage rate and the fee basis.
   • If you choose hourly, DocketMath needs hourly rate and hours.
   • If you choose milestones, DocketMath totals the milestone fees and can apply retainer/tax logic depending on your setup.
4. Enter amounts in R$.
5. Add retainer and specify how you want tax treatment handled (gross vs net).
6. Review outputs, typically including:

   • Estimated attorney fee total
   • Net vs gross split (when tax handling is provided)
   • Comparison line items (for example, fee vs retainer offset, depending on tool configuration)

How outputs change when inputs change (sanity-check)

Tip: If you’re estimating a court-related figure, align your fee basis with what the court filings use (commonly valor da causa for many projections). Mixing settlement amounts and claim values can distort results.

Quick checklist before running

Related reading

• Worked example: attorney fee calculations in Vermont — Worked example with real statute citations
• Attorney Fees Guide for Alaska
• Attorney Fees Guide for American Samoa