Billing by the minute
- Priced by time spent, not the problem solved
- The longer it takes, the more you pay
- Itemized invoices that arrive after the work
- You quietly help fund the learning curve
- The meter runs during "quick questions"
// Flat fees
Pay for the plan,
Pay for the plan,
not the clock.
The billable hour is a relic of a slower era. We price the value of the work, define the scope up front, and let modern tools do the repetitive lifting.
Most people start with the free consultation. Already know exactly what you need? Request a quote and skip the call.
How to read this: your cost rises going up, the work piles on going right.
Hourly: the meter keeps running. The final cost is discovered later.
Flat fee: one price for a defined scope, known before you commit.
Billable: price grows with time. Flat fee: price is set for a defined scope.
// The honest version
Why hourly billing quietly works against you.
It's not that hourly lawyers are villains in loafers. It's that the model ties your bill to inefficiency, and that's a strange thing to root for.
Flat fees
- Priced around value and a defined scope
- Efficiency lowers your cost instead of raising it
- One agreed number, known before we start
- AI handles the repetitive drafting and research
- Ask questions without watching a timer
An hourly invoice can bill you for the coffee refill and the slow walk back from the printer. A flat fee bills you for one thing: the result you came for.
// AI meets legal work
Priced for impact, built for efficiency.
Secure digital intake, document automation, and adaptive-technology-assisted research and drafting now handle in minutes what once filled an afternoon.
When the routine gets faster, that time savings should reach the client as a clearer scope and a fixed price.
One firm rule: AI-assisted is not AI-decided. A licensed Missouri attorney reviews every document, exercises the judgment, and remains responsible for your matter. The tools speed up the typing; they don't replace the thinking.
// Straight talk
Where a flat fee fits, and where it doesn’t.
Trust is built by being honest about the edges. Not every matter can be a fixed price, and we'll tell you when it can't.
Definable, document-driven work
- Entity formation and founder/operating agreements
- SAFE and convertible-note review
- Contract drafting and review
- 4530 / OBA compliance health checks and WSP drafting
- Playbooks, checklists, and training modules
Open-ended or adversarial matters
- Active disputes with unpredictable timelines
- Matters that depend on third parties or regulators
- Work that may expand well beyond initial scope
- Live FINRA arbitration matters (often phased or hybrid)
// Published starting points
What a flat-fee engagement looks like.
Representative examples, not quotes. They show how a defined scope maps to a fixed price; your number depends on the facts after a short consultation.
Startup formation packages
$750 to $2,500 $525 to $1,750 30% off for new clients
- Basic: single-member entity formation
- Premium: multi-member entity plus equity docs
- Platinum: adds employment agreements and an equity plan
4530 / OBA compliance health check
Flat fee quoted after a short scoping call
- Remote review of 4530 triggers, timelines, and recordkeeping
- OBA intake, approval, and monitoring under Rule 3270
- U4 / U5 amendment practices checked against internal records
- Findings memo with prioritized, practical fixes
Contract drafting or review
Starting at $750 $525 30% off for new clients
- One key agreement drafted or reviewed
- Plain-English risk summary
- Redlines or a revision memo
- One round of revisions
Note: These are starting prices for the most common scope. Your final flat fee is confirmed after a consultation, once the facts are clear. FINRA compliance offerings are quoted as flat fees after a short scoping call; live disputes may be phased or hybrid. Quoted fees exclude court, government, and third-party costs, and no fee guarantees a particular outcome. See the full fee disclaimer below.
// Startup formation packages
Three ways to launch.
Pick the tier that matches your cap table. Filing fees are excluded from every package; your final flat fee is confirmed after a consultation.
Basic
$750 $525 30% off for new clients
- 1-hour initial consultation
- Single-member entity creation (LLC or corporation)
- Standard bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder IP assignment
- Initial board, member, or shareholder consent
- Draft Form SS-4 for federal EIN (corporation only)
Single-member LLCs and single-shareholder corporations only. Multi-member and multi-shareholder entities need the Premium or Platinum package.
Start with Basic →Premium
$1,500 $1,050 30% off for new clients
- 1-hour initial consultation
- Multi-member entity creation (LLC or corporation)
- Standard bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder IP assignments
- Initial board, member, or shareholder consents
- Draft Form SS-4 for federal EIN
- Standard shareholder agreement (corporation)
- Founder vesting agreements, if needed
- Founder 83(b) elections, if needed
- Initial cap table
Platinum
$2,500 $1,750 30% off for new clients
- 1-hour initial consultation
- Multi-member entity creation (LLC or corporation)
- Standard articles and bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder IP assignments
- Initial board, member, or shareholder consents
- Draft Form SS-4 for federal EIN
- Standard shareholder agreement (corporation)
- Founder vesting agreements, if needed
- Founder 83(b) elections, if needed
- Initial cap table
- Founder employment agreements
- Employee NDA, IP assignment, and non-compete
- Standard equity plan (option or profits interest)
- Standard equity grant agreement form
Filing fees excluded from every package. Multiple members, complex cap tables, or non-standard equity terms can move a quote above the published price; a consultation confirms the final number before any work begins.
// Pricing bands
Where most matters land.
Broad bands, published on purpose. If your quote falls outside a band, you’ll hear why before any work begins.
- Startup formation packages (Basic to Platinum)
$750 to $2,500$525 to $1,75030% off for new clients - Contract drafting or review
from $750from $52530% off for new clients
- 4530 / OBA compliance health checkflat fee, quoted after scoping
- Complaint-to-arbitration playbookflat fee, quoted after scoping
- Compliance training module (60 to 90 min)per module, quoted after scoping
Bands show regular pricing alongside the current 30%-off new-client amounts. Multiple entities, complex cap tables, or contested facts can move a quote above a band; simpler matters can land below it. FINRA offerings are scoped to your firm’s size and records before a number is quoted.
// Matter bundles
Clients we see every week.
If one of these sounds like you, your scope is already half-defined, and the consultation gets straight to the details.
Founder reviewing a SAFE before signing
From $750 $525 30% off for new clients
- SAFE or note reviewed against your cap table
- Plain-English summary of the terms that matter
- Redlines and negotiation points
- A call to walk through the risks before you sign
Small firm ahead of its next exam
Flat fee scoped to your firm’s size and records
- 4530 triggers, timelines, and recordkeeping review
- OBA workflow and attestation-cycle check
- U4 / U5 amendment practices compared to internal records
- Findings memo with prioritized fixes
Representative prices for typical facts show the regular amount alongside the current 30%-off new-client amount. Every bundle is confirmed as a fixed number in your engagement agreement.
New-client offer
Claim the offer
30% off your first flat-fee engagement.
New to ClearScope Counsel? Take 30% off the firm’s quoted flat fee for your first matter, in any practice area.
New clients only, one engagement. The discount applies to ClearScope Counsel’s quoted flat fee and not to court, government, filing, or third-party costs. It cannot be combined with other offers and is available only after conflicts are cleared and a written engagement agreement is signed. No discount or fee guarantees a particular result.
// How it works
From first question to fixed quote.
No mystery invoice at the end. The number comes first.
“What do I need?”
“Will this be expensive?”
“Is this the right document?”
1
Intake
2
Fit check
3
Scope
4
Quote
No meter running.
// Reasonable questions, plainly answered
FAQ
What if the scope changes mid-engagement?
We pause and talk before doing new work. You approve any revised scope and fee in advance. No silent meter.
Does "flat fee" mean cheap?
No. It means predictable. You're paying a transparent price for judgment, strategy, and documents that fit your situation.
How is AI used in my matter?
For research, drafting support, and intake, but never final decisions. A licensed attorney reviews and is responsible for the work, and your confidential information is handled securely.
Where do you work?
The practice is remote-first. Startup legal work serves founders across Missouri; FINRA compliance consulting serves firms nationwide, with secure intake and video consultations either way.
// Fee disclaimer
About our flat-fee quotes
Flat-fee quotes are provided only after the scope of your matter is defined during a consultation and any conflicts are cleared. A quote applies to the specific services described in your written engagement agreement. Not every matter can be handled on a flat-fee basis, and some are better suited to a different arrangement, and we will tell you when that is the case.
Quoted fees do not include court filing fees, government charges, taxes, or costs paid to third parties or outside vendors, which are billed separately. No fee arrangement or statement on this page guarantees a particular result or outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.
This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. ClearScope Counsel, LLC
// Next step
Get a number before you commit.
Request a flat-fee quote or book a consultation. No attorney-client relationship forms until conflicts are cleared and an engagement agreement is signed.