Pricing and Availability
/Fee Arrangements
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by start-ups and their founders, especially in the early stages, I am proud to offer flat-fee, hybrid and non-traditional fee arrangements, including equity arrangements where permitted by state law and ethical rules. I am also pleased to offer alternative payment mediums (e.g., crypto) for all my services.
These terms allow start-ups to deploy their precious resources where needed most—product development and growth—rather than tying up cash in hiring attorneys and advisors.
Subscription Services
Outsourced Chief Legal Officer (CLO), month-to-month
I offer fractional, outsourced Chief Legal Officer services to high-growth start-ups and small businesses. The CLO is a relatively recent addition in the C-suite. CLOs, as compared with General Counsels (GCs), are expected to have a deeper understanding of business processes and strategy.
CLOs help companies craft a strategic, long-term plan to tackle not only operations and growth (primarily, but not exclusively, from a legal standpoint), but also policy, risk management, crisis management, and creative problem solving.
The basic “package” includes:
- • Working- and after-hours access by call, text, email, and FaceTime
- • Ten virtual contact hours per month with discounted hourly rates beyond that
- • Rollover of unused hours
- • Unlimited contract and lease reviews
- • On-site, face-to-face travel to your team available at a discounted rate
I will work with clients to find the right level of service and price point to ensure they are not being overcharged or underserved. Outsourced CLO services are offered on a month-to-month basis, unless otherwise agreed, and may be cancelled by the client at anytime with a prorated refund as required by the state law and bar rules.
À la Carte Services
Tax Free Mergers, Purchase, and Sale Agreements
Selling a company is often one of the most important and formative moments in an entrepreneur’s life. No transaction of this sort is ever routine. From preliminary, informal discussions through final closing and disbursement, I assist clients to protect their interests at every stage of the process.
More than simply negotiating the highest and best sales price, I support clients in developing a comprehensive framework to strike not only the best price but also the most sensible and sustainable outcome in line with their unique lifestyle and business goals.
As an attorney and CPA, I am pleased to offer full-stack M&A transaction advisory services to small and medium sized businesses and their principals on a cost- and time- efficient basis, including IRC section 368 transactions, reverse mergers, SPACs, direct equity investments, and IPOs.
Timing is everything in these deals. There are two common mistakes entrepreneurs commit when approached by a prospective purchaser or partner: (1) fixating on the purchase price at the expense of the other substantive deal terms; and (2) waiting until the 11th hour to retain experienced legal counsel and tax advisors to protect themselves. Email me today to get started.
Start-up Formation
For new businesses, I will assist clients with ideation, formation, and structuring of their businesses to minimize compliance risk, allowing start-ups and their principals to focus on value creation, not paperwork.
One-time start-up formation services encompass:
- • Entity selection based on principals’ operational and tax objectives
- • One hour virtual strategy session included with discounted hourly rates beyond that
- • Provision of meeting minute templates and other governance documents
- • Concise package explaining go-forward state and federal filing obligations
- • Filing of all required documentation with the Secretary of State and the United States Internal Revenue Service
- • Preparation and execution of simple operating agreement; inclusion of additional, complex provisions (e.g., tax distribution planning, multi-state or international considerations, intricate dissolution or buy-out arrangements) are available by consultation and at additional charge
- • Preliminary name availability search
- • Trademark filing add-on available at discounted rate
- • Registered agent services add-on available(per month)
- • On-going CLO (Chief Legal Officer) and compliance services available at discounted rate
Federal Trademark Search and Filing
At the outset, and especially for technology-oriented small businesses and new ventures, a company’s only assets might be brand and intellectual property. For this reason, it is imperative that founders register trademarks to protect themselves and their investors early in the game.
My firm’s trademark search and registration service includes:
- • One hour initial attorney consultation
- • Intensive electronic search of existing usage to identify potential conflicts, including using publicly available records on the Internet and via TESS
- • Thirty minute post-search attorney consultation
- • A signed attorney opinion letter
- • Preparation and filing of a federal trademark application for a single class of goods/services plus responses to non-substantive Offices Actions issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); additional class filings available at a discounted rate of $199 per class
- • On-going CLO (Chief Legal Officer) and compliance services available at discounted rate
Additional Services
Although my practice is laser-centered on entrepreneurial and small business law, I recognize that there exists a business-personal continuum, especially for founders and business owners where their venture is their primary focus in life.
With that in mind, I assist clients with matters above and beyond what I have outlined above, including in other domains of law, on an ad hoc basis. Please contact me to learn more.
Alternative Payment Options: Crypto, Goldbacks, Precious Metals, and Equity
Crypto, Goldbacks, and Precious Metals
My firm accepts a variety of cryptocurrencies, as well as Goldbacks and precious metals (e.g., gold, silver), as alternatives to remitting funds in US Dollars.
Please ask about this option during your initial consultation. I will be happy to prepare invoices and accept payment using these alternatives for any services my firm offers pursuant to terms we discuss and finalize in a written representation agreement.
Equity Arrangements
When permitted by state law and professional ethics, I will accept equity in lieu of cash from some start-ups. This proposition is inherently complex and may be prohibited in some cases. These arrangements are only suitable where there is mutual interest and viability in forming a long-term working relationship. Given the many nuances of these arrangements, I advise clients to seek external representation when discussing and negotiating them—but it CAN be done.