Most people would like access to a business lawyer but are concerned about the cost. Perhaps the biggest concern is being billed by the hour, because hourly billing doesn’t provide the predictability most people want. With hourly billing, you may not know what the cost is until you receive the invoice. We understand that.We’d like to meet your needs and make our firm more available. Call it the “outsourced general counsel” model. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. In exchange for a flat monthly fee, we provide an agreed-upon variety of legal services. One bill, one flat fee, no surprises.How does the system work? Here are a few examples:

If you’re a real estate agent or broker, every month you may face questions about contracts, terminations, escrow accounts or ethical considerations. For a flat fee, we will be available to answer your questions and do what is necessary to either get your deal to closing or terminate the contract or guide you concerning your ethics issue.

For manufacturers and service providers, we can prepare, negotiate, and review contracts, provide general day-to-day legal advice, or assist with general employment and non-compete issues. Whatever the scope of work we agree upon, we will render those services monthly for a flat fee.

How do you get started? Contact Jack D’Aurora (614/643-2109; [email protected]) and set up an appointment to discuss your needs. There’s no charge for this meeting. We will discuss your needs and the anticipated amount of time we will need to serve them. We’ll then agree on what a reasonable fee would be. Next, we’ll sign an agreement that reflects our deal and meets your needs, and our firm will be ready to serve as your “outsourced general counsel.”

Both you and our firm will enjoy the simplicity and predictability of a true flat monthly flat fee without hidden costs. You needn’t worry about the “meter running” during the agreement’s term—in fact,  we encourage you to call as often as you need, and to treat your primary contact in our firm the same way you would an in-house lawyer. Regardless of the time involved, the fee we agreed on remains the same. Our firm is willing to invest more time when needs are greater in return for a recurring monthly fee.

We’ll review the agreement after three months of service to see if it worked out fairly for both us. Each of us will have the opportunity to continue, opt out or amend the agreement. But during the term of the agreement, our firm will be providing all the services we agreed upon for a flat fee.