---
title: "Build a costs worksheet from the costs file for an arbitration submission"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/arbitration-and-alternative-dispute-resolution/draft-costs-submissions-from-the-costs-file/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A6-T1-R11-US"
practice_area: "Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Build a costs worksheet from the costs file for an arbitration submission

> From the bills and the engagement letter, list each amount, the date, and whether the letter describes it as a fee or an expense. Do not write the costs submission or propose a figure to award.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/arbitration-and-alternative-dispute-resolution/draft-costs-submissions-from-the-costs-file/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution](https://ailawframework.com/practice/arbitration-and-alternative-dispute-resolution.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the bills and the engagement letter, list each amount, the date, and whether the letter describes it as a fee or an expense. Do not write the costs submission or propose a figure to award. |
| What the lawyer must review | No provision opened in the Federal Arbitration Act sets a scale of tribunal or party costs. The lawyer’s own charge is Model Rule 1.5(a), which forbids an unreasonable fee or an unreasonable amount for expenses, and Rule 1.5(b), which requires the scope and the basis or rate to be communicated, preferably in writing. Formal Opinion 512: if the lawyer bills by the hour, the bill is actual time, including time spent prompting a tool and reviewing its output, and is not the time the task would have taken without the tool. The lawyer writes the submission. Allocation of tribunal costs follows the clause and any rules the lawyer opens. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft costs submissions from the costs file](https://ailawframework.com/practice/arbitration-and-alternative-dispute-resolution/draft-costs-submissions-from-the-costs-file.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the bills and the engagement letter, list each amount, the date, and whether the letter describes it as a fee or an expense. Do not write the costs submission or propose a figure to award.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Institutional costs rules were not opened. Do not insert a percentage or a scale.
- State versions of Rule 1.5 can require a written fee agreement. Confirm the state rule before the submission relies on the Model Rule.

## Sources

- [ABA Model Rule 1.5, Fees](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_5_fees/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [9 U.S.C. § 2, validity of arbitration agreements](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/9/2) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*