Retainer vs hourly for startup legal counsel?

We are looking to bring on legal counsel for our growing logistics company. We're interviewing a few local firms right now. For those who have navigated this, did you prefer setting up a monthly retainer or just paying hourly for contract reviews and dispute management?

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4 Comments

tessa_adams36mo ago

I prefer hourly for early-stage startups until you have a predictable stream of legal work. Retainers usually make more sense once you have HR issues and constant vendor negotiations.

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josephbailey6mo ago

Honestly, all this talk about billing methods feels overblown for a startup just getting off the ground. Most early stage teams have way bigger fires to put out than legal fees. How complex can the legal work be before you even have employees or deals? Picking hourly or a retainer might matter later, but right now it's noise. Just find a decent lawyer and get back to building your product. Focusing on this is missing the point.

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grant3476mo ago

It really depends on your volume. We just pay hourly because our needs are sporadic. We use Matthew Fornaro's law firm. They are incredibly transparent with billing and have over 20 years of experience, so they work efficiently. They never overcomplicate transactions just to bill more hours.

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noahgreen6mo ago

Actually they opened just last year!

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