Frequently Asked Questions
Each business and each project is different, so we make sure that the billing and pricing meet your individual needs.
We believe we’re selling solutions, not time, so we do the majority of our projects on a flat fee basis. That way, even if your project takes longer than expected, you aren’t caught with a surprise bill. Depending on the project, we may also recommend an upfront retainer for hourly work, or a subscription plan.
No matter what, we don’t believe in surprises, so you’ll always know upfront what the cost will be, when it is due, and we’ll never bill for additional work without your prior permission.
We passionately believe that legal fees should never be a bar to retaining the legal help you need. We will work with you to create a plan that suits your ability. If you still feel it’s outside your budget, we are happy to refer you to other lawyers or associations who may be able to help.
Our consultation process is a little different than most law firms.
When you first contact our office, you will do a free intake call with our Client Services Director, to get some upfront information and make sure that we’re a good fit for each other. After that, you will meet with an ABL attorney, who will run through what we call a Business Strategy Session with you to answer your questions and assess the potential liabilities your business may be facing. We do charge for the Business Strategy Session, but we use the time to provide you with as much value as we are able: you will end the session armed with answers, a strategy, next steps, a priority list, an education, referrals for outside services you may need, and a transparent price.
Subscription plans allow us to become a partner to your business, so we are in a better position to really know you and your company, and help you avoid common pitfalls before you end up in a situation that requires expensive legal services to fix.
More generally, we offer subscriptions because they allow us to offer our clients:
- Proactive updates on changes in the law and how they apply to your business
- Ongoing proactive updates of your business documents, to keep you up to date and protected
- Certain legal services only offered to subscription clients
- Proactive planning and risk mitigation
- Priority service
- Low, predictable costs, and lower long-term costs
Whether or not we’re the firm you choose, we believe every small business — even sole proprietors — will benefit from speaking to a business lawyer, even if you’ve already been successfully building your business for years. While it’s easy to want to cut corners and minimize costs while you’re starting and growing your business, our experience has shown us over and over again that a little bit of time and money to prevent a problem is much better than a lot of time and money later trying to fix it. Many entrepreneurs don’t know what they don’t know, and end up being caught by surprise with a legal issue they could have easily avoided if they had talked to a lawyer first. We want your businesses and your personal assets to stay protected, no matter what.
We can represent anyone in the world, as long as there is California law at issue. In fact, we have clients as far as New Zealand. Our firm is structured to provide ease of access to anyone, no matter where you live, so we can meet with you via videoconference or phone. We find that virtual meetings not only provide access to people outside the Bay Area, but help us create efficiency and lower overhead so you’re not stuck paying for a law firm’s inefficiency.