If you’ve ever been told “you have a good case, but it’ll cost more to litigate than you’d recover,” you already understand the problem this practice exists to solve. Civil litigation in New York can run into tens of thousands of dollars before a case ever sees a courtroom, which prices out exactly the people and small businesses who most need access to it. Levenson Law Group structures civil litigation engagements around a simple commitment: you'll know the likely cost range before committing, and we won't recommend litigating a claim where the legal fees would swallow the recovery.

Common situations we handle

  • A vendor, contractor, or business partner breached a written or verbal agreement
  • A landlord, tenant, or neighbor dispute has moved past the point of a phone call fixing it
  • You've been served with a lawsuit and need someone to evaluate your defense
  • A dispute over property, a deposit, or an unpaid debt is worth pursuing but not worth a blank-check legal bill

What counts as civil litigation

Civil litigation covers non-criminal disputes between people, businesses, or organizations where one party is seeking money, property, or a specific action from another. That's a wide net — it includes contract breaches, property and real estate disputes, landlord-tenant conflicts, partnership and business disagreements, and disputes over debts, services, or goods. What ties them together isn't the subject matter, it's the process: pleadings, discovery, motions, and either a settlement or a trial.

How we keep it affordable

Three things make the difference. First, an honest case assessment before you spend a dollar — if the numbers don't work, we'll tell you before filing anything, not after. Second, fee structures built around the size and complexity of the actual dispute, rather than a one-size-fits-all hourly rate. Third, we handle matters directly rather than staffing them with a rotating bench of associates billing separately for the same conversation.

How the process works

  1. Case evaluationWe review the facts, documents, and what's realistically recoverable before you commit to anything.
  2. Cost-to-outcome readYou get a plain-language estimate of likely fees against the likely recovery or exposure.
  3. Filing and discoveryIf it makes sense to proceed, we handle pleadings, discovery, and motion practice.
  4. ResolutionMost cases settle before trial — we negotiate from a position grounded in what the case is actually worth, and take it to trial when that's the better path.

Frequently asked questions

How much does civil litigation actually cost in New York?

It depends heavily on the complexity and how contested the case is — a straightforward breach-of-contract claim costs far less than a multi-party dispute with extensive discovery. We give you a specific range for your situation during the initial consultation, not an industry-wide average.

What if my case isn't worth pursuing?

We'll tell you. Part of the value of an honest cost-to-outcome assessment is hearing “this isn't worth litigating” before you've spent anything, not after.

Do you handle cases outside New York?

Scott Levenson is also admitted in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, so multi-state matters can often be handled without bringing in a second firm.

What's the difference between litigation and a negotiated settlement?

Litigation is the formal court process; a negotiated settlement can happen at any point before, during, or instead of that process. Many disputes we're brought in on resolve well before trial once the other side sees a credible, well-prepared case on the other end.