What It Is
Concierge legal practices are growing in popularity, particularly as individuals and businesses desire more certainty in their legal expenses. The concierge model emphasizes a strong relationship between client and lawyer. In exchange for a non-returnable retainer, at a significant discount from standard hourly rates, clients receive enhanced representation from trusted counsel on legal and business matters.
How It Works
Concierge clients sign up for a specific quarterly plan, based on a certain amount of hours for substantive legal work (2.5, 5, or 10 hours per month, translating to 7.5, 15, or 30 hours per quarter), explained in detail below. Concierge clients may cancel or select a different plan (up or down) after any quarter, but are committed for a minimum of one quarter (i.e., a period of three consecutive months; not necessarily a calendar quarter).
Rather than paying for services at our standard hourly rate of $300.00, our effective concierge hourly rate is less than $200.00. Any hours not used in a particular month "roll over" to the following month(s) in that quarter, but must be used during the quarter (unless a client pays for services on an annual basis, at a 10% discount). Should time spent on substantive work exceed the budgeted hours, clients may (1) pay the next month's installment and apply those hours in the current month; (2) upgrade to a higher-hour plan for the remainder of the quarter; or (3) simply pay for the excess time on an hourly basis, at a still-discounted concierge "overage" rate of $225.00 per hour.
Each month, concierge clients receive at no additional charge, one “check-in” meeting, video conference, or telephone call (depending on mutual availability) to discuss pending and upcoming matters. Check-in meetings are limited to one (1) hour in duration, with any excess time charged against the client’s allotted time under the applicable concierge plan, after which, our $225.00 concierge overage rate applies. Concierge clients also receive at no additional charge a certain number of email exchanges and telephone calls not exceeding 15 minutes each, as outlined below (again any time exceeding 15 minutes during a single call is charged against the plan’s budgeted hours, or $225.00 per hour if the plan’s budgeted hours are exceeded). All time spent working on substantive matters for the client (e.g., research, document preparation, meetings and communications with third parties, copyright registrations, trademark prosecutions, etc.) is charged against the budgeted hours, or if the budgeted hours have been exhausted, at the $225.00 hourly concierge overage rate.
Rather than paying for services at our standard hourly rate of $300.00, our effective concierge hourly rate is less than $200.00. Any hours not used in a particular month "roll over" to the following month(s) in that quarter, but must be used during the quarter (unless a client pays for services on an annual basis, at a 10% discount). Should time spent on substantive work exceed the budgeted hours, clients may (1) pay the next month's installment and apply those hours in the current month; (2) upgrade to a higher-hour plan for the remainder of the quarter; or (3) simply pay for the excess time on an hourly basis, at a still-discounted concierge "overage" rate of $225.00 per hour.
Each month, concierge clients receive at no additional charge, one “check-in” meeting, video conference, or telephone call (depending on mutual availability) to discuss pending and upcoming matters. Check-in meetings are limited to one (1) hour in duration, with any excess time charged against the client’s allotted time under the applicable concierge plan, after which, our $225.00 concierge overage rate applies. Concierge clients also receive at no additional charge a certain number of email exchanges and telephone calls not exceeding 15 minutes each, as outlined below (again any time exceeding 15 minutes during a single call is charged against the plan’s budgeted hours, or $225.00 per hour if the plan’s budgeted hours are exceeded). All time spent working on substantive matters for the client (e.g., research, document preparation, meetings and communications with third parties, copyright registrations, trademark prosecutions, etc.) is charged against the budgeted hours, or if the budgeted hours have been exhausted, at the $225.00 hourly concierge overage rate.
Plans
Gold |
Platinum |
Diamond |
500 |
1,000 |
2,000 |
per month |
per month |
per month |
2.5 substantive hours per month |
5 substantive hours per month |
10 substantive hours per month |
7.5 substantive hours per quarter |
15 substantive hours per quarter |
30 substantive hours per quarter |
Excess time billed at $225 per hour |
Excess time billed at $225 per hour |
Excess time billed at $225 per hour |
1 monthly check-in meeting (in person or via telephone or video conference) |
1 monthly check-in meeting (in person or via telephone or video conference) |
1 monthly check-in meeting (in person or via telephone or video conference) |
3 telephone calls (up to 15 minutes each) |
3 telephone calls (up to 15 minutes each) |
5 telephone calls (up to 15 minutes each) |
3 email exchanges (an "exchange" includes the entire communication on a particular subject) |
3 email exchanges (an "exchange" includes the entire communication on a particular subject) |
5 email exchanges (an "exchange" includes the entire communication on a particular subject) |
3-month commitment |
3-month commitment |
3-month commitment |
5% discount if paid quarterly |
5% discount if paid quarterly |
5% discount if paid quarterly |
10% discount if paid annually |
10% discount if paid annually |
10% discount if paid annually |
The Fine Print
- Concierge clients may pay for plans on a monthly basis at the above-stated prices, on a quarterly basis at a 5% discount, or on an annual basis at a 10% discount. Each month, we provide a statement identifying all work performed on the client's behalf and the amount of time to be carried over to the following month, if any.
- Clients paying for Concierge Services on a monthly basis (rather than quarterly or annually) must provide our credit card processor with a valid credit or debit card for automatic monthly payment processing.
- Should time actually spent on substantive work exceed the budgeted hours for a particular month, clients may (1) pay the next month's installment and apply those hours to the current month; (2) upgrade to a higher-hour plan for the remainder of the quarter; or (3) pay for the excess time on an hourly basis, at our concierge "overage" rate of $225.00 per hour. We will provide no services beyond the budgeted hours unless and until we receive payment for such additional time.
- Expenses (e.g., registration fees, filing fees, photocopies, etc.) are billed at the firm's cost, and we must receive payment for each expense (or an agreed estimate of the expense) before we will incur any expense on a client's behalf.
- Concierge fees are considered non-returnable retainer fees, fully earned upon our receipt, to compensate us for being available to represent concierge clients, for committing time to the representation, which may preclude our acceptance of other employment, and/or from being precluded from taking an interest or position adverse to the client.