What a written legal opinion costs and what it should contain

You've asked a lawyer for a written legal opinion and received a quote that seems either surprisingly high or suspiciously low. Neither number tells you much until you understand what's actually bundled into the fee and what specific work might have been left out, at any price point.

The cost of a written legal opinion isn't arbitrary. It reflects how much work the attorney needs to do to give you something worth relying on—and what they're choosing to skip changes the value dramatically.

The time layers buried in a single quote

A written legal opinion isn't a one-pass job. An attorney charging you is accounting for several distinct layers of work, each taking time.

First comes intake and clarification. The attorney needs to understand your actual situation, not just a vague version of it. This means asking follow-up questions, reading documents you've sent, and sometimes pushing back on what you thought the question was. If you hand over a jumbled folder of contracts, emails and background, that clarity phase takes longer than if you've already sorted the materials and written a one-page summary of what you need answered.

Second is research. The answer depends on what law applies—whether that's a specific statute, case law, SARS guidance, or how a regulator has been interpreting rules lately. Some questions are straightforward enough that an attorney can rely on existing knowledge. Others require digging: checking whether recent judgments have shifted the legal landscape, whether a piece of legislation has been amended, or whether the Deeds Office, Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) or another body has issued new guidance. That research time varies wildly by question. An opinion on whether your employment contract clause is enforceable under current labour law takes different time than one on whether your property transfer will trigger a specific tax implication.

Third is analysis and drafting. The attorney applies law to your facts, works through the reasoning, anticipates weaknesses, and writes it up clearly enough that you (or a bank, regulator, or board) can rely on it. Writing is slower than thinking. A two-page opinion can represent four hours of solid thought and rewriting.

Finally, there's review and sign-off. The attorney re-reads their own work to catch gaps, check citations, and ensure the conclusion actually flows from the reasoning. They may add caveats or conditions based on what they've written.

A quote that skips or rushes one of these layers — regardless of price — will usually show it in the final document. Intake might be cursory—the attorney assumes they understand your situation without asking much. Research might be shallow—they rely on memory or spot-check one source instead of doing a thorough review of the current law. Drafting might be thin—more bullet points than prose, or vague language that lets them off the hook if circumstances shift. Skipped intake, shallow research, or thin drafting — whatever the fee charged for them — shows up in opinions that are short, hedged, or silent on crucial details.

What a quote should account for

When you're comparing attorney quotes, don't just look at the hourly rate or the fixed fee. Ask what the quote includes and what it doesn't.

A thorough quote will flag how much intake work is baked in. Is the attorney assuming you've already organised all relevant documents, or will they charge extra to hunt through your files? Will they clarify the question in writing before they start research, so you both agree on scope?

It should mention research scope. Will they check current legislation and recent case law, or work from existing knowledge? If your question touches on tax, employment, or property law—areas where guidance from SARS, the Department of Employment and Labour, or the Deeds Office shifts—thorough research matters.

A quote should also specify who's signing the opinion and what their qualifications are. An opinion signed by a partner at a firm carries different weight than one from a junior, and the fee should reflect that. Some opinions need to be signed by someone with specific standing or expertise—a bank or regulator may demand that explicitly.

Finally, check whether the quote assumes one draft or allows for revision. If your first version shows gaps or your circumstances shift partway through, will the attorney redraft at no extra cost, or will revisions add to the bill?

None of this means the cheapest quote is bad or the priciest is fair. But understanding what each quote actually covers lets you compare apples to apples. When you're ready to commission an opinion, a registered attorney on Strove can walk you through what they'll deliver and why their fee reflects the work required.