Business Access Plans
Annual Business Legal Access Plans
As an experienced California business attorney, I understand that many businesses need ongoing legal guidance for everyday operations but may not require full-time counsel or anticipate litigation. To provide predictable access to legal support for proactive compliance and general business matters, I offer the following tiered annual legal access plans. These plans are designed to provide a set amount of attorney time for specified services, allowing you to budget for routine legal needs and address questions before they become larger issues.
These plans are for consultation and transactional support only and do not include litigation services or serving as your ongoing counsel of record for court matters.
Tier 1: Access
Attorney Time Included: Up to 5 hours of attorney time per year.
Included Services (Examples): This tier is ideal for addressing specific questions or reviewing shorter documents. Examples include:
Brief phone or email consultations on general business law topics.
Review of up to three short agreements (e.g., a standard vendor agreement, NDA).
Basic questions about business formation or structure.
Review of website terms of service or privacy policy for basic compliance pointers.
Guidance on copyright or trademark basics.
Assistance with reviewing and providing initial guidance on responding to a simple cease and desist or copyright infringement claim letter.
Access to an exclusive library of resources for the small and medium business including articles, guides and checklists.
Ideal For: New businesses, sole proprietors, or small businesses with limited, infrequent legal needs who want a cost-effective way to access experienced counsel for quick questions and document reviews.
Tier 2: Growth
Attorney Time Included: Up to 10 hours of attorney time per year.
Included Services (Examples): Building on Tier 1, this tier offers more time for in-depth reviews and consultations as your business grows. Examples include:
More extensive consultations on business strategy with legal implications.
Review of multiple standard contracts or a more complex single agreement.
Guidance on employment law basics for hiring your first employees.
Review of marketing materials or email campaigns for compliance check (e.g., CAN-SPAM, basic advertising rules).
Developing a basic strategy for protecting intellectual property (copyrights, trade secrets).
One-on-one training session for your team on a specific compliance topic (e.g., data privacy basics).
Regular consultations on a variety of business and compliance issues.
Review and negotiation guidance for key commercial agreements.
Assistance with reviewing and providing guidance on responding to a simple cease and desist or copyright infringement claim letter, including drafting a response.
Access to an exclusive library of resources for the small and medium business including articles, guides and checklists.
Ideal For: Expanding small to medium-sized businesses with increasing contractual relationships and compliance obligations who need more regular access to legal advice to support their growth.
Annual Plan Fees
The following are the annual fees for each legal access plan tier, utilizing the True Retainer (Earned Upon Receipt) model as described below:
Tier 1: Foundation Access: $1,500 USD/yr.
Tier 2: Growth Support: $3,000 USD/yr.
These fees are based on providing a predictable cost for accessing a set amount of attorney time for proactive business law services, reflecting the value of experienced counsel in the Greater Sacramento area.
Optional Discounted Additional Hours Add-On
Clients on an annual plan have the option to purchase additional attorney time beyond the included hours at a discounted rate for services within the scope of their plan. This is a separate, optional purchase from the base annual plan fee.
You may choose one of the following add-on packages:
Add-On Option A: Purchase up to 5 additional hours at a 25% discount off the standard hourly rate. Add $200/yr.
Add-On Option B: Purchase up to 10 additional hours at a 25% discount off the standard hourly rate. Add $350/yr.
Any additional hours needed beyond the included plan hours and any purchased discounted add-on hours would be billed at the standard hourly rate, as outlined in a separate agreement if necessary.
Fee Treatment (Compliant with California Ethics Rules)
For these annual legal access plans, the fee structure utilizes the True Retainer (Earned Upon Receipt) model, which complies with the California Rules of Professional Conduct regarding how attorneys handle client funds for certain prepaid services.
In this model, the annual fee for your chosen plan is considered fully earned by the attorney upon receipt. This fee is paid in exchange for the attorney's availability and commitment to provide up to the specified number of hours of service for the defined scope of work during the one-year term of the plan. The fee is not placed in a client trust account.
The specific terms regarding the earned-upon-receipt nature of the fee will be clearly defined in a formal written agreement for the chosen plan. Payment for any optional discounted additional hours add-on will also be handled as agreed upon in the plan agreement.
Important Disclaimers:
These plans provide access to legal consultation and transactional support up to the specified hours. They do not cover legal representation in court, arbitration, mediation (unless specifically agreed upon separately), or any other formal dispute resolution proceeding.
These plans do not establish an ongoing attorney-client relationship where the attorney serves as your registered agent or continuous counsel of record for all legal matters. Each specific request for service under the plan will be handled within the scope and hours defined.
Hours are for attorney time only and do not roll over to the next year.
Complex matters or those requiring specialized expertise outside the general scope of business law (e.g., patent law, complex tax litigation) may require referral to other counsel.
These plans are designed to offer valuable, predictable access to legal expertise for managing the routine legal aspects of your business. Let's discuss which tier best fits your needs.