Services & Pricing
Clear scope. Published prices.
Everything below is what I actually charge. What I don't do is published too — I'd rather refer you well than stretch past my lane.
Entry point
The Legal Operating Review
$3,500 flat fee · 2–3 weeks
A structured diagnostic producing:
- A written legal risk register
- A contract-stack audit
- A corporate-hygiene review (cap table, board minutes, IP assignments, equity plan)
- A state-of-compliance memo covering the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, the Utah AI Policy Act, and restrictive-covenant exposure
- A 12-month prioritized legal roadmap with budget
100% of this fee is credited against the first three months of any retainer tier.
Nothing is charged here. I run a conflicts check first, and no attorney-client relationship exists until a written Engagement Letter is signed by both parties.
The retainer ladder
Pick the tier that fits today.
Foundation
$2,500
per month
Core legal hygiene and a senior set of eyes each month.
- Up to 4 standard agreements per month
- Monthly 60-minute strategy call, email access
- Response: 2 business days on routine matters
- No board support
Scoped for light, recurring needs — unusually heavy months are quoted as separate fixed-fee projects.
Best for: Pre-seed / <15 employees / <$2M revenue
Operating GC
$5,500
per month
A working general counsel inside your operating rhythm.
- Up to 10 agreements per month, including negotiation support
- Biweekly calls plus a dedicated Slack/Teams channel
- Response: 1 business day
- Standard corporate minutes and consents
Best for: Seed–Series A / 15–60 employees / $2M–$15M
Embedded GC
$9,500
per month
A seat at the leadership table and ownership of key deals.
- Contract support within reasonable scope; negotiation lead on key deals
- Weekly leadership-team participation, Slack/Teams channel
- Response: 4 business hours on business-critical matters
- Board package review and observer access
Best for: Series A–C / 60–200 employees / $15M–$50M
Portfolio GC
$15,000+
per month
Full contract and governance ownership across entities.
- Full contract-function ownership across entities, quarterly scope true-up
- Weekly cadence plus board attendance
- Response: Same day on critical matters
- Board attendance and governance calendar management
Pricing is custom, based on entity count and complexity.
Best for: PE-backed, multi-entity, pre-transaction
Every tier carries a 90-day initial commitment with 30-day notice thereafter. Work outside the defined scope is quoted up front as a fixed-fee project — never billed hourly.
| Compare | Foundation | Operating GC | Embedded GC | Portfolio GC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $2,500 | $5,500 | $9,500 | $15,000+ |
| Annual prepay (10% off) | $27,000 | $59,400 | $102,600 | Custom |
| Typical monthly scope | Up to 4 standard agreements per month | Up to 10 agreements per month, including negotiation support | Contract support within reasonable scope; negotiation lead on key deals | Full contract-function ownership across entities, quarterly scope true-up |
| Communication & access | Monthly 60-minute strategy call, email access | Biweekly calls plus a dedicated Slack/Teams channel | Weekly leadership-team participation, Slack/Teams channel | Weekly cadence plus board attendance |
| Response time | 2 business days on routine matters | 1 business day | 4 business hours on business-critical matters | Same day on critical matters |
| Governance support | — | Standard corporate minutes and consents | Board package review and observer access | Board attendance and governance calendar management |
| Best for | Pre-seed / <15 employees / <$2M revenue | Seed–Series A / 15–60 employees / $2M–$15M | Series A–C / 60–200 employees / $15M–$50M | PE-backed, multi-entity, pre-transaction |
Trust accounting
How We Handle Your Fees
Fixed-fee projects and the Legal Operating Review are deposited into Plumeria's client trust account and released as work is completed, consistent with Utah's trust-accounting rules. Monthly retainers are earned upon receipt for the defined scope and access period described in your Engagement Letter — not billed against hours. No fee is ever treated as “nonrefundable,” and you'll always know what's in trust and what's been earned.
Payment methods
How You Can Pay
Once your engagement letter is signed, payment runs through Stripe on a secure page — I never see or store your card or bank credentials. You can pay by:
ACH bank transfer
Direct debit from a U.S. business checking account. Lowest processing cost, ideal for monthly retainers.
Credit or debit card
All major cards. Many founders prefer this to earn points, miles, or cash back on a recurring business expense.
Link
Stripe's saved-payment wallet, for one-click renewals on the card or bank account you already use.
The price is the same whichever method you choose — I don't add surcharges or convenience fees, and I don't discount for ACH. Any rewards, points, or cash back are strictly between you and your card issuer; Plumeria neither offers nor administers a rewards program, and nothing here is tax or accounting advice about how to treat those rewards.
Conflicts
What if you already work with a company like mine?
Because I work with a range of growing companies, it's possible I already advise someone in your industry, investor network, or on the other side of a deal. Every Engagement Letter includes a standard clause addressing this upfront. If your situation involves an actual, specific overlap with an existing client, I'll flag it during the conflicts check and ask for an additional, plain-English waiver — signed by everyone affected — before we move forward. You're always welcome to review either document with independent counsel first.
Transparency
What's explicitly excluded
A fractional GC who claims to do everything is telling on themselves. These matters sit outside my retainers:
- Litigation and court appearances
- Patent and trademark prosecution
- Securities and complex regulatory matters
- M&A transactions
- Priced financing rounds
- Complex tax and real estate
Each of these is quoted separately as a fixed-fee project or referred to specialist counsel.
Fixed-fee project menu
Discrete work, quoted up front.
| Project | Retainer client | Non-retainer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity formation + founder docs (multi-member) | $3,500 | $5,500 | |
| Equity incentive plan + 409A coordination | $4,000 | $5,500 | |
| SAFE / convertible note round | $4,500 | $6,500 | |
| Priced seed round (NVCA docs) | $16,000 | $22,000 | |
| Series A (lead or co-counsel with specialist) | $40,000–$65,000 | Referred | Request quote |
| Commercial contract stack (MSA, SOW, DPA, NDA, EULA, order form) | $7,500 | $11,000 | |
| Employee handbook + offer letter and IP assignment set (Utah single-state) | $4,500 | $6,500 | |
| UCPA + Utah AI Policy Act compliance readiness | $6,500 | $9,000 | |
| Restrictive-covenant refresh (post-2026 HB 270 / SB 111) | $3,000 | $4,500 | |
| Sell-side M&A quarterback (non-lead) | $18,000–$35,000 | Quoted | Request quote |
| "GC for a Day" — 8-hour intensive | $2,500 | $3,200 |