The Firm that gets BUSINESS done!
ATTORNEY & COUNSELOR AT LAW
LEGAL COSTS & FEES
I strive to handle all legal work on a flat fee so that you know your financial obligations upfront. Nothing is as disconcerting as having a known expense lingering out there without knowing how much it is going to be.
Initial Consultations are to get to know each other and determine if you have an issue with which I can help. That process includes whether or not your issue is worth pursuing from a legal as well as a financial standpoint. Typically these can be handled via telephone, but certainly not always.
Legal Document Reviews contemplate a careful review of a complete contract or agreement (including any and all amendments, modifications, schedules, addendums, etc.) to ensure that whatever advice I provide is based upon the entire agreement. Any attempt to evaluate only a portion of an agreement is inherently flawed. Accordingly, if there have been changes to an agreement via emails, letters, etc., it is imperative that those be provided as well, or the advice provided may not be accurate. Additionally, it should be noted that the flat fee quoted above is based upon a contract of reasonable length and complexity.
Drafting legal documents is actually much cheaper than modifying something that has already been drafted by another attorney or layperson so it is always best to just have me draft whatever is needed from the start. I know that as a small business owner you don't have significant resources so I will work with you to ensure that you get the services you need without breaking the bank.
Unemployment Protests and Hearings are important tools in minimizing a business’s unemployment taxes. I win over 85% of the hearings that I handle and will still provide the free initial consultation to assess if your particular case is worth pursuing. Furthermore, Missouri recently made the law far more employer-friendly so discharge cases are now very winnable.
The True Cost of Legal Advice
People routinely enter into contracts without obtaining legal advice as to the significance of its terms, only to find out later just how expensive a mistake they’ve made. Small Business Owners are no exception. The most common explanation I hear is that they can’t negotiate the terms so why incur the significant expense of an attorney. This assumption is almost universally false as contract terms are routinely negotiated and amended. Even large multinational corporations using preprinted contracts frequently permit amendments as I’ve done numerous times on behalf of clients and my own firm.
As for expense, I can review a contract, identify potential risks, and likely negotiate better terms for a small fraction of what it will cost to defend a lawsuit from unfavorable or unrealistic terms. For example, I once spoke with a Small Business Owner that was locked into a five-year lease for his auto repair business, only to find out after the fact that he would not be able to obtain a permit to use the facility to paint vehicles despite the property having previously been used for that very purpose. The issue could have easily been avoided with language making the lease term contingent upon the property’s suitability for the intended use, including obtaining necessary permits—instead, it was litigated at considerable expense.
The same applies to guidance in Business Entity Selection; Corporate Governance; and Employment, Construction, Technology, and Administrative Law Issues.
Highly successful businesspeople know that the right business lawyer actually saves money! Please give me the opportunity to show how I can be one of the most valuable members of your team.
After all, that is how BUSINESS gets done!