Well, I may track the hours I work, but this won’t affect your billing in any way (unless as explained below it’s something like litigation which must be billed hourly unfortunately).

Yup.

Yup.

I mean that, if it’s a service that I offer, you can get unlimited access to that service.

So, for example, I don’t typically do litigation. Or mediation. Things not otherwise spelled out or excluded in our engagement letter, even if I did them, they wouldn’t be included.

Litigation is not included.

Otherwise, your engagement letter will spell out what is or is not included.

In the event additional services like litigation are required, a supplemental engagement letter will need to be signed.

Good question.

Like all good attorneys, I always try to avoid going to trial; and trust me, you do NOT want to go to trial in an eviction (unlawful detainer action) in California if you can avoid it.

Likewise, most lemon law claims are resolved peacefully without the need to go to trial.

But if push comes to shove, and we en up needing to go to trial, then we’ll need to agree to a supplemental engagement letter which incorporates an additional hourly rate for trial purposes.

As of January 2025, $400/hour.

So, yeah, you’re basically getting free legal services after just 5 hours of work.

Awesome for you. Not so awesome for me.

In general — and except for occasional pricing adjustments due to market dynamics like inflation — no, this rate will never change for you, and of course you’ll be notified if it does.

The only exception is that, from time to time, I may need to make adjustments if you excessively overuse or otherwise take advantage of my pricing model, but this is rare.

It’s a use-it-or-lose-it model, and all payments are “earned upon receipt” and are NOT a retainer fee.

On the other hand, it also means that you can potentially get way more for your money.

At $2000/month (and assuming what would have been a $450/hour rate for me), you’re basically getting free legal services after just 4-and-a-half hours of work. That’s pretty awesome for you. (Not so awesome for me.)

Yes, but it’s monthly, and you can easily cancel at any time with an email sent to me at least 30 days prior to your desired final day.

Yes. Just shoot me an email to marc@marchoag.com and request to cancel your subscription. Please note that this request must be sent at least 30 days prior to your desired last day of service.

No. And unfortunately this is (perhaps obviously) to prevent abuse. Once you’ve paid for a month, you’re locked in for that month. However, as explained elsewhere, you can easily cancel by shooting me an email to marc@marchoag.com and requesting cancellation 30 days prior to your last desired service day.

No. First, paying a retainer isn’t pleasant for clients; and second, it isn’t pleasant for lawyers to manage.

However, each month’s payment must be received on time or services will pause immediately.

Furthermore, all fees paid each month will be “earned fees” and therefore — because there is no retainer fee — deposited directly into the firm’s business operations bank account.

I just want to make sure this is clearly understood: fees are earned immediately upon receipt and are NOT a retainer, against which I would otherwise deduct only once earned.

Yes, you can sign up for a subscription & request immediate cancellation so that it doesn’t renew at the end of the month.

Good question. Frankly, it’s as much a potential risk as it is a challenge for large, established firms that have been around since the Cretaceous.

There are definitely more and more smaller firms playing around with subscription models, though admittedly, flat rate subscription-only models like this are still quite rare.

Admittedly, too, flat-rate subscription models are risky for lawyers — myself included. But this is why I explained elsewhere that on a limited basis, it may be the case that clients who abuse or otherwise excessively overuse my services may need to be re-evaluated for a different rate that makes sense. But again, this is the exception, not the rule.

Great! Shoot me an email to marc@marchoag.com and I’ll reply back right away.