How We Charge for Legal Services
Legal fees shouldn’t be confusing.
Have you ever felt confused about billing? You’re not alone. Legal fees are notoriously opaque. In fact, it’s estimated that a staggering 70% of clients express frustration over unexpected legal costs. At Implement Legal, transparency is one of our core values—with clients, with counterparties, and in our pricing. Transparency about legal fees is key to building attorney-client trust. Here’s how transparency benefits you:
Greater Control: Transparency allows clients to make informed decisions based on their financial situations.
Increased Trust: Being upfront about costs builds a collaborative relationship rather than one based only on transactional exchanges.
Reduced Stress: Knowing exactly what you will be paying for and when reduces anxiety and builds confidence in your legal representation.
In this extensive guide, we break down Implement’s different types of legal fees, explain why we divide between flat fee and hourly projects, and provide you with insights that will empower you to make informed decisions about your representation. So, let’s get started!
“Outgoing” = Flat Fee
When we start a project in-house, we charge a flat fee. If we can use our extensive archive, shape the conversation, and determine the timeline, then we have control over the scope. Because our attorneys have done each of our flat fee projects so many times, we know exactly how long these projects take and exactly how much we need to charge. (This is where Rob’s MBA is so helpful—his pricing spreadsheets are gorgeous.)
Every project we’ve ever done for a client is now assigned to one of three categories, based on a guaranteed delivery timeline*:
Weekly
Week-long projects include one attorney meeting, unlimited calls and emails, and client portal access. Examples include reviewing a service contract or completing a preliminary clearance search for a trademark.
Fee: $795
Monthly
One-month projects include three attorney meetings, unlimited calls and emails, and client portal access. A month-long project might include preparing all of the documents necessary for selling your business or a full clearance search and filing of a trademark application.
Fee: $2,385
Quarterly
Quarter-long projects include five attorney meetings, unlimited calls and emails, and client portal access. These multifaceted projects, which might include all-inclusive business start-ups or intellectual property audits, help secure your overall business strategy.
Fee: $4,995
You can find the full breakdown of Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly projects in our 2025 Fee Schedule.
* Guaranteed unless the client needs to delay.
“Incoming” = Hourly
When we are asked to work on someone else’s words—whether reviewing a contract sent to you, reviewing the other side’s requested changes, negotiating on your behalf, or reviewing something you built with ChatGPT—we charge hourly.
Fee: $400/hour
A minimum retainer of 2 hours applies to all projects (i.e., $800).
Legal Consultations
When you don’t know what you need, you need a legal consultation.
Project Consultation
Unsure if you have a new matter? Need to get your collaborators on the same page? Need to review the client’s contract while you’re in the design phase? Schedule a Project Consultation.
Project Consultations define the scope of your legal project—review of an existing contract, preliminary advice about trademark registration, development of a custom template, and more. Afterward, we send you a detailed plan, service quote, and timeline.
Fee: $595
You may apply this fee towards any services we recommend.
Loops and Leaps™
Loops and Leaps™ (formerly known as Protect Your Magic®) is our firm’s signature service, designed to help you close open “loops” so you can take big “leaps.” During this consultation, we review your legal, business, tax, and financial questions, then create an overarching strategy for all of your service needs.
We recommend everyone undertake Loops and Leaps™ at least once, but you can schedule Loops and Leaps whenever you need a refreshed legal strategy.
Fee: $995
This fee may be applied towards any services we recommend.
Attorney Q&A
Have a question for Rob? Want to pick Katherine’s brain? Schedule an Attorney Q&A. This session is a catchall for those times when you don’t know what you need, and no other service fits.
Fee: $295
This fee cannot be applied to future services, but Attorney Q&A fees are waived for clients on The List.
You can learn more about the consultations we offer here: Legal Consultations: What to Expect
The List
The List is our priority-availability membership service. This is VIP service for the regular client who is committed to taking care of their business through preventative maintenance. The client who anticipates intense legal needs for the next quarter. The client who needs to feel assured that it’s OK to check in every week, and we’ll always have a spot for them.
This offering was designed to respond to our clients’ most frequent requests, but The List was also shaped by 1) Katherine’s years of service in Michelin-starred restaurants and 2) our family’s transformative experiences with integrative medicine models.
Benefits include:
Priority availability
Continuous access to client portal
No charge for quick questions via client portal (non-members are subject to a minimum billing rate of a quarter-hour)
Waiver of Attorney Q&A fees
Extended payment plans for project fees
Access to the Implement Tools template suite
Finally, when you have a more substantive project that needs a heavier legal lift, we waive our regular Project Consultation fee to discuss the scope of the project and recommend next steps.
Fee: $89/month with a minimum 3-month commitment. (Just like a prix fixe.) Plus an extensive menu of upgrade options. (Just like wine pairings!)
Questions?
Visit our FAQ. If you’re new to the firm, schedule an Initial Consultation or reach out to us at hello[at]implement.com. If you’re a returning client, we’re excited to hear from you! Send us an email or schedule your appointment via Calendly.
