Ask what work the next litigation stage actually requires

The threat makes the whole case feel unaffordable

The other side says it will drag the dispute through every possible stage. Ask your lawyer what the next actual decision requires before reacting to an imagined total. A staged estimate can help management understand the work presently needed, its assumptions and the point at which further instructions will be required. It does not remove legal risk or guarantee a fixed final cost.

Define the immediate work

Imagine a contractor deciding whether to prepare evidence for an upcoming step. Ask the lawyer to distinguish document review, witness work, expert input and any anticipated appearance. Identify what is included in the estimate and what depends on later events. Do not assume a short quote covers every possible response from the opponent or all future proceedings.

Include business time in the discussion

business.gov.au notes that legal recovery involves time and expense. Ask which records and staff input the adviser needs and estimate the operational time involved. In the contractor example, preparing a supervisor's evidence may require taking them away from a live job. That practical commitment should be visible alongside professional fees without being misrepresented as an amount the opponent must reimburse.

Source: business.gov.au: What to do when you haven't been paid

Clarify the assumptions that could change cost

Ask what happens if the records are incomplete, an expert issue emerges or the opponent takes a different procedural step. Keep likely and merely possible work distinguishable. Avoid treating a best-case estimate as a cap unless that is actually agreed. The budget should help identify a future decision point rather than conceal uncertainty inside a reassuring headline figure.

Set a review before expanding the scope

Agree how further work will be authorised and what update the decision-maker needs. Keep urgent procedural requirements under the lawyer's direction. Do not allow a budget review to become an unadvised reason to miss a deadline. Equally, ask for clarification before an optional additional task is commissioned if its purpose and cost are unclear.

Compare the next step with the alternatives

Use the stage estimate, legal advice and current settlement position together. Distinguish money already spent from the next commitment, while retaining an honest view of the total exposure. Breaking the immediate work into understandable parts helps the business respond to cost pressure through a practical decision rather than an emotional reaction to the opponent's promise of an endless fight.