Editorial Policy
LegalCostGuides publishes research-driven guides on U.S. legal costs. This page explains how that content is sourced, reviewed, updated, and monetized. Readers who want to verify a claim, request a correction, or understand how the site works should start here.
Who Runs This Site
LegalCostGuides is operated by Javi Pérez, an independent researcher and content editor based in Almería, southern Spain. Javi is not a licensed attorney and does not provide legal advice. His role is to research, organize, and maintain consumer-facing pricing guides built on publicly available U.S. legal-market data.
All content reflects Javi's editorial judgment applied to documented public sources. There are no other named authors, no invented credentials, and no fictitious editorial personas on this site.
| Role | Details |
|---|---|
| Editor | Javi Pérez — content research, editorial standards, site maintenance |
| Contact | [email protected] |
| linkedin.com/in/javi-perez-guides | |
| Location | Almería, Spain |
Sourcing Hierarchy
Every pricing claim on this site is assigned to one of three tiers. Readers can use this framework to judge how firm any given number is.
| Tier | Source type | Examples used on the site | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — Official fee | Government or court-published fee schedule | U.S. Courts filing fees, USCIS filing fees, USPTO fees, SSA representative-fee caps | These figures are fixed by statute or regulation. They are the most reliable numbers on the site. |
| Tier 2 — Market benchmark | Published legal-industry survey data | Clio Legal Trends Report, ABA legal-market research | These reflect survey-based averages and medians. Use them as planning ranges, not quoted prices. |
| Tier 3 — Derived estimate | Editorial calculation from Tier 1 + Tier 2 inputs | Practice-area working budgets, state-adjusted hourly bands | These are constructed estimates for consumer planning. They carry the most uncertainty and should be verified locally before any financial decision. |
When a page blends tiers, the methodology section or source table on that page explains which figure comes from which tier. This site does not mix official fees with survey benchmarks without labeling the distinction.
Review Cycle
Content on LegalCostGuides is reviewed on the following schedule:
| Content type | Review cadence | Trigger for off-cycle update |
|---|---|---|
| State lawyer-cost guides (50 pages) | Quarterly | Material change to state bar survey data or Clio regional benchmarks |
| Practice-area guides | Quarterly | Change to official filing fee, significant market-rate shift, or reader correction |
| Calculators | Quarterly | Logic error report or underlying fee-schedule change |
| Policy and disclosure pages | Semi-annually or on material operational change | Change to monetization model, affiliate program, or editorial standards |
The dateModified field in each page's JSON-LD schema reflects the most recent review date. Where a figure changes between cycles, the update is applied to the page and the date is refreshed.
Editorial Independence
LegalCostGuides is editorially independent. No law firm, attorney referral network, lead generation company, or legal technology vendor has any influence over which topics are covered, how fees are presented, or what conclusions the guides reach. The site earns revenue through display advertising (Google AdSense) and does not receive compensation for directing readers toward any specific firm or service.
Advertising placement is controlled by Google's ad auction, not by this site's editorial decisions. A page about DUI lawyer costs, for example, covers pricing and consumer guidance whether or not any DUI-related advertiser is active on the site. Content scope and advertising inventory are managed separately.
Affiliate Disclosure
LegalCostGuides does not currently operate affiliate or referral programs for legal services. If an affiliate relationship is added in the future, it will be disclosed prominently on the relevant pages using rel="nofollow sponsored" link attributes and a plain-language disclosure at the top of the page. This site does not accept payment for editorial mentions.
Disclaimers
All content on LegalCostGuides is for general informational and consumer-education purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, a legal opinion, or an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act on any pricing information from this site without consulting a licensed attorney in their jurisdiction who can review their specific facts, deadlines, and procedural posture.
Legal costs vary by geography, case complexity, billing model, attorney experience, and many factors outside the scope of any general guide. The figures on this site are planning benchmarks, not quotes. They are designed to help readers ask better questions, not to substitute for professional legal counsel.
Corrections Policy
Factual corrections are taken seriously. If you believe a price figure, source citation, or procedural statement on this site is incorrect, email [email protected] with:
- The URL of the page in question
- The specific sentence, table entry, or figure you believe is wrong
- The correct figure or interpretation, with a supporting source if available
Corrections that include a verifiable source are reviewed within 10 business days. Where a correction is confirmed, the page is updated and the dateModified field is refreshed. Material corrections are noted in the page's editorial note where appropriate. Anonymous correction requests without a supporting source may take longer to verify.