A Real Example: All-Inclusive vs. Plus Disbursements

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I’ve written about legal fees before — and I’ll probably write about them again.

Because if there’s one thing that’s still wildly inconsistent in our industry, it’s how lawyers price their services.

Some lawyers (like me) offer all-inclusive pricing.

But many still advertise a low “Legal Fee”… and then add “plus disbursements” — a vague, undefined number.

Here’s why that matters:

Last week, I was talking with a friend-of-a-friend who had just sold their condo in Toronto for $775,000.

When they found out I was a real estate lawyer, they brought up their legal fees and how disappointed they were when the final bill came in much higher than what was originally quoted.

They actually sent me the invoice to look at.

Here is a breakdown of the fees they paid, after being quoted:
$899 + Disbursements and HST

To give you a point of reference, if you used my legal fee calculator, you would see that I charge $1,599+HST to close a sale like this.

That's an all-inclusive price.

But, when presented with the following two quotes:

• Quote 1: $1,599 + HST
• Quote 2: $899 + Disbursements and HST

Most clients will pick Quote 2 — even though it ends up costing $206.58 more.

And worse, the client feels misled.

That’s the real problem.

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Now look — I’m not saying the choice of lawyer should come down to legal fees.

In fact, choosing a lawyer based on price alone is a terrible idea.

Just like choosing a Realtor based solely on commission.

It’s not about the lowest number — it’s about value, clarity, and trust.

We charge one number — legal fee and disbursements — because it reflects the actual cost.

Clients get a number they can use to actually budget properly.

In a world that’s moving toward more transparency in almost every area, legal fees shouldn’t be the exception.

And this model isn’t just better for clients — it’s better for the Realtors who refer us.