A conviction, not a pricing strategy
Why we don’t bill by the hour.
Schneidman Law does not bill by the hour because hourly billing creates a wall between a business and its lawyer. The alternative is a flat monthly fee: predictable cost, priority responsiveness, no surprise invoices, and hours never counted at any tier.
This is what Good, Good Counsel® requires in practice. Counsel only works when the client actually calls, and clients only call when the call costs nothing.
What’s wrong with hourly legal billing?
Hourly billing punishes a business owner for picking up the phone. Every call starts a clock, so owners hesitate. They watch the minutes, sit on questions, and wait until a problem is too big to ignore. Then they wait weeks for a response, get a big invoice, and walk away frustrated. The lawyer meets the problem after the fact instead of before the decision.
- It is slow. Work queues behind whoever else is paying for hours that week.
- It is expensive in the worst way: unpredictably, after the fact.
- It makes the client ration access to their own lawyer.
How does a flat-fee legal subscription work?
A flat monthly fee covers ongoing counsel, so you call whenever a question comes up and the firm picks up. The subscription covers what a business deals with day to day: contracts, business and legal strategy, employment issues, vendor relationships, partnerships, and risk.
The Outside General Counsel service comes in three levels defined by depth of involvement, not by hours. Level I covers occasional needs. Level II, Ongoing Counsel, is the default: a continuous relationship where the firm knows the business and is involved before commitments are made. Level III, Strategic Counsel, is custom-scoped and priced for businesses where legal judgment sits inside executive decision-making. No level counts hours, and no level sends a surprise invoice.
Does flat fee mean capped hours or less work?
No. Hours are never counted at any tier. The incentive simply flips. Under hourly billing, more problems mean more revenue for the firm. Under a flat fee, the firm does well by preventing problems, so its incentives finally point the same direction as yours. The best legal work is the work you never have to think about, because it was done right the first time.
How does removing the clock change the counsel you get?
The firm moves from reactive attorney to proactive counselor, involved before commitments are made, not after. When calls are free, the lawyer hears about the deal while it is still forming, and that changes what counsel can do.
It also changes what the lawyer knows. Without a meter running, the firm can take the time to learn the business and how it makes money, the owner as a person, including their goals and what keeps them up at night, and the people around the business whose dynamics shape every decision. That depth is the whole point of Good, Good Counsel®. Advice built on it is specific, timely, and worth acting on.
Who is flat-fee counsel right for?
Founders past the napkin stage, roughly $1M to $20M in revenue, with real contracts, real relationships, real risk, and no in-house counsel. If you have been burned by spot engagements and big invoices, this model was built for you. More detail on who we take on.
One kind of business is not a fit: large companies that need a full-service firm with multiple practice areas under one roof.
Frequently asked questions
Is a flat-fee lawyer more expensive than hourly?+
A flat fee trades unpredictable totals for a known monthly cost. Under hourly billing you cannot know what a year of legal help will cost until the invoices arrive. Under a flat fee you know on day one, and calling your lawyer never adds a line item.
What does the monthly subscription include?+
Day-to-day counsel: contracts, business and legal strategy, employment issues, vendor relationships, partnerships, and risk. The full structure, including the three levels of involvement, is on the Outside General Counsel page.
Can I use flat-fee counsel for a one-time deal?+
One-time engagements are available without a subscription. Business acquisitions and sales, real estate transactions, and construction law are all handled standalone or within an ongoing counsel relationship.business acquisitions and sales
How do we start?+
With a short conversation about your business, what you need, and whether the fit is right in both directions. Start a conversation and Andrew will talk it through with you directly.
Written and reviewed by Andrew R. Schneidman, Esq. · Last reviewed
Stop rationing access to your own lawyer.
One flat fee, one number you already know, and a lawyer who picks up.