Definable, document-driven work
- Entity formation and founder/operating agreements
- SAFE and convertible-note review
- Contract drafting and review
- FINRA disclosure expungement (Rule 2080)
§ 01 — Pricing philosophy
Pay for the plan, not the clock.
Hourly billing belongs to a slower time. We set fees based on the value delivered, agree on the scope in advance, and use modern tools to handle routine tasks.
How to read this: your cost rises going up, the work piles on going right.
Hourly: The meter keeps running. The final cost is discovered later.
Flat Fee: One price for a defined scope, known before you commit.
§ 02 — The honest version
You shouldn’t pay more because it took longer.
It's not that hourly lawyers are villains in loafers. It's that the model ties your bill to inefficiency, a strange feature to incentivize.
Billing by the minute
- Priced by time spent, not the problem solved
- The longer it takes, the more you pay
- Itemized invoices that arrive after the work
- You quietly help fund the learning curve
- The meter runs during “quick questions”
Flat fees
- Priced around value and a defined scope
- Efficiency lowers your cost instead of raising it
- One agreed number, known before we start
- AI handles the repetitive drafting and research
- Ask questions without watching a timer
// Modern legal work approach
Priced for impact, built for efficiency.
Secure digital intake, document automation, and adaptive-technology-assisted research and drafting now handle at the speed of artificial intelligence.
When the routine gets faster, that time savings should reach the client as a clearer scope and a fixed price.
One firm rule: AI-assisted is not AI-decided. A licensed Missouri attorney reviews every document, exercises the judgment, and remains responsible for your matter. The tools speed up the typing; they don't replace the thinking.
// Straight talk
Where a flat fee fits, and where it doesn’t.
Trust is built by being honest about the edges. Not every matter can be a fixed price, and we'll tell you when it can't.
Investor recovery & personal injury
- FINRA arbitration & investor recovery matters
- Personal injury claims (auto, premises, wrongful death)
- Flat 33% of any recovery, no upfront cost
- You pay nothing unless we recover on your behalf
§ 03 — Published starting points
Simple, transparent pricing you can plan around.
Representative examples, not quotes. They show how a defined scope maps to a fixed price; your number depends on the facts after a short consultation.
Startup formation packages
$750 to $2,500 $525 to $1,750 30% off for new clients
- Basic: single-member entity formation
- Premium: multi-member entity plus equity docs
- Platinum: adds employment agreements and an equity plan
FINRA disclosure expungement
Flat fee starting at $7,500Confirmed after a scoping call
- Rule 2080 eligibility review
- Drafting and filing the expungement request
- Hearing preparation, even for unopposed matters
- FINRA’s own filing/hearing fees are separate, not included
Contract drafting or review
Starting at $750 $525 30% off for new clients
- One key agreement drafted or reviewed
- Plain-English risk summary
- Redlines or a revision memo
- One round of revisions
Note: These are starting prices for the most common scope. Your final flat fee is confirmed after a consultation, once the facts are clear. FINRA disclosure expungement is quoted as a flat fee after a short scoping call, and FINRA’s own filing/hearing fees are separate. Quoted fees exclude court, government, and third-party costs, and no fee guarantees a particular outcome. See the full fee disclaimer below.
// The other pricing model
Contingency fees: still not billed by the hour.
FINRA arbitration and personal injury cases don’t fit a neat, fixed-scope format like drafting a contract or forming an entity. So, rather than charging a flat fee, they’re handled on contingency. Same idea, different structure. You never pay a retainer or for the hours worked.
33% contingency
A flat one-third of any amount recovered, for qualifying FINRA arbitration and personal injury matters.
Nothing upfront
No upfront attorney fees or costs. You pay nothing unless we recover on your behalf.
In writing, before we start
The percentage and how expenses are handled are confirmed in a written contingency fee agreement before representation begins.
No recovery is guaranteed. No fee arrangement or statement on this page guarantees a particular result or outcome.
§ 04 — Startup formation packages
Three ways to launch.
Basic
One founder, one clean single-member entity.
$750$525
/ package · 30% off for new clients
- 1-hour initial consultation
- Single-member entity creation (LLC or corporation)
- Standard bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder IP assignment
- Initial board, member, or shareholder consent
- Draft Form SS-4 for federal EIN (corporation only)
Single-member LLCs and single-shareholder corporations only. Multi-member entities need Premium or Platinum.
Start with Basic →Premium
Co-founders who never want to argue about who owns what.
$1,500$1,050
/ package · 30% off for new clients
- 1-hour initial consultation
- Multi-member entity creation (LLC or corporation)
- Standard bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder IP assignments · initial consents
- Draft Form SS-4 for federal EIN
- Standard shareholder agreement (corporation)
- Founder vesting agreements, if needed
- Founder 83(b) elections, if needed
- Initial cap table
Platinum
Hiring from day one — the team paperwork comes built in.
$2,500$1,750
/ package · 30% off for new clients
- Everything in Premium
- Standard articles and bylaws (corporation) or operating agreement (LLC)
- Founder employment agreements
- Employee NDA, IP assignment, and non-compete
- Standard equity plan (option or profits interest)
- Standard equity grant agreement form
Filing fees excluded from every package. Multiple members, complex cap tables, or non-standard equity terms can move a quote above the published price; a consultation confirms the final number before any work begins.
// Pricing bands
Where most matters land.
Broad bands, published on purpose. If your quote falls outside a band, you’ll hear why before any work begins.
- Startup formation packages (Basic to Platinum)
$750 to $2,500$525 to $1,75030% off for new clients - Contract drafting or review
from $750from $52530% off for new clients
- FINRA disclosure expungementflat fee, starting at $7,500
- FINRA arbitration & investor recovery33% contingency, no upfront cost
- Personal injury representation33% contingency, no upfront cost
Bands show regular pricing alongside the current 30%-off new-client amounts. Multiple entities, complex cap tables, or contested facts can move a quote above a band; simpler matters can land below it. FINRA disclosure expungement is scoped before a flat fee is quoted; FINRA arbitration and personal injury matters are contingency fee.
// Matter bundles
Clients we see every week.
If one of these sounds like you, your scope is already half-defined, and the consultation gets straight to the details.
Founder reviewing a SAFE before signing
From $750 $525 30% off for new clients
- SAFE or note reviewed against your cap table
- Plain-English summary of the terms that matter
- Redlines and negotiation points
- A call to walk through the risks before you sign
Investor who suspects broker or advisor misconduct
33% contingencyNo upfront cost · No recovery, no fee
- Preliminary case review and conflicts screening
- Record and claim assessment
- Statement of Claim, discovery, and hearing preparation when arbitration applies
Representative prices for typical facts show the regular amount alongside the current 30%-off new-client amount. Flat-fee bundles are confirmed as a fixed number in your engagement agreement; contingency arrangements are confirmed as a percentage in a written contingency fee agreement.
New-client offer
Claim the offer
30% off your first flat-fee engagement.
New to ClearScope Counsel? Take 30% off the firm’s quoted flat fee for your first matter.
New clients only, one engagement. The discount applies to ClearScope Counsel’s quoted flat fee and not to court, government, filing, or third-party costs. It cannot be combined with other offers and is available only after conflicts are cleared and a written engagement agreement is signed. No discount or fee guarantees a particular result.
// How it works
From first question to fixed quote.
“What do I need?”
“Will this be expensive?”
“Is this the right document?”
1
Intake
2
Fit check
3
Scope
4
Quote
No meter running.
§ 05 — FAQ
Reasonable questions, plainly answered.
We pause and talk before doing new work. You approve any revised scope and fee in advance. No silent meter.
No. It means predictable. You're paying a transparent price for judgment, strategy, and documents that fit your situation.
For research, drafting support, and intake, but never final decisions. A licensed attorney reviews and is responsible for the work, and your confidential information is handled securely.
The practice is remote-first. Startup legal work serves founders across Missouri. FINRA arbitration matters are evaluated for investors in Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana. Personal injury representation is Missouri-based. Secure intake and video consultations are available either way.
For qualifying FINRA arbitration and personal injury matters, the fee is a flat 33% of any amount recovered, with no upfront attorney fees or costs. The exact terms are confirmed in a written contingency fee agreement before representation begins.
// Fee disclaimer
About our flat-fee quotes
Flat-fee quotes are provided only after the scope of your matter is defined during a consultation and any conflicts are cleared. A quote applies to the specific services described in your written engagement agreement. Not every matter can be handled on a flat-fee basis, and some are better suited to a different arrangement, and we will tell you when that is the case.
FINRA arbitration and personal injury matters are handled on a contingency fee basis instead: a flat 33% of any amount recovered, with no upfront attorney fees or costs. The exact percentage and how expenses are handled are set out in a written contingency fee agreement before representation begins.
Quoted fees and contingency percentages do not include court filing fees, government charges, taxes, or costs paid to third parties or outside vendors, which are billed or deducted from any recovery separately. No fee arrangement or statement on this page guarantees a particular result or outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.
This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. ClearScope Counsel, LLC
// Next step
Get a number before you commit.
Request a flat-fee quote or book a consultation. No attorney-client relationship forms until conflicts are cleared and an engagement agreement is signed.