Exhibit A
“Time is recorded in increments of one-quarter hour (0.25), with a minimum charge for any discrete task, including telephone calls and correspondence.”
Quarter-hour rounding15–30% on every bill
No. 01 — Engagement letters
Almost nobody reads the engagement letter.
Outcounsel does. Upload the letter your law firm sent. Get back the eight asks worth making — with the exact clauses quoted — and the billing-guidelines exhibit that makes them stick.
No account. About a minute. No model trains on your documents.
Engagement letter — draft 2Page 3 of 9
4.2 Fees. Fees are computed at the Firm’s standard hourly rates in effect at the time services are rendered. Time is recorded in increments of one-quarter (0.25) hour recorded in increments of one-tenth (0.1) hour, with a minimum charge of 0.25 hours per task no minimum charge per task.
No. 02 — What the fine print costs
Four clauses, quoted from real letters.
Exhibit B
“The Firm reviews and adjusts its standard hourly rates on an annual basis, typically effective January 1 of each year.”
Uncapped increases+26% by year three, at 8%/yr
Exhibit C
“An administrative charge equal to four percent (4%) of fees will be added to each invoice to defray general office expenses.”
Pure margin4% of every invoice, for nothing
Exhibit D
“This retainer is non-refundable and is earned upon receipt in consideration of the Firm’s agreement to accept this engagement.”
Your money, gonethe entire retainer at risk
The quarter-hour, to scale
0:06 — your call ended
0:15 — their meter stopped
Nine minutes of every quarter-hour entry can be air. Tenth-hour billing is standard at any firm that bills carefully — it is one sentence in the letter, and you only get it if you ask.
No. 03 — How it works
01
Upload the letter
PDF or pasted text, before or after you sign. Two questions about your leverage — expected spend, and whether the firm is deferring your fees — so we only tell you to ask for what you can actually win.
Drop letter.pdf
02
Get the eight asks
Every clause quoted, every silence flagged — silence is usually worse — and each finding tiered by whether you have standing to push. The reply email to the partner is already written.
1. Bill in tenths, no minimum.
2. Written estimate up front.
3. Notice at 80% of estimate.
03
Attach the exhibit
The terms they agree to become billing guidelines — an exhibit to the letter itself. The next invoice dispute cites a section the firm signed, not a feeling.
Exhibit B — Billing guidelines
…guidelines control over inconsistent terms.
Your lawyer bills you to read this sentence.
1 Your letter is read for the review and nothing else.
2 No model trains on your documents.
3 The report, the email, the exhibit — all yours to copy out. We hold nothing hostage.
No. 05 — Next on the docket
Then the invoices arrive.
Upload the bills you get later. Every line is checked against the exhibit the firm agreed to — block-billed entries, quarter-hour rounding, timekeepers you never approved — and the dispute email is drafted for you.
In progress — start with the letter
Statement of services — MarchHarlow, Brennan & Stice LLP
| Date | Timekeeper | Hours | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/04 | T. Brennan | 0.60 | $591.00 |
| 03/07 | R. Osei Review | 3.40 | $2,346.00 |
| 03/11 | T. Brennan | ||
| Total | $3,183.25 | ||
03/07 — block-billed: “attention to various matters.” 03/11 — billed 0.25; the exhibit says 0.1.
Disputed
No. 06 — The terms, both ways
Engagement letter — oursPage 1 of 1
1.1 The entire agreement. Outcounsel reads the engagement letter you upload and returns the redline. It is free right now. No hourly rates exist here, so none can increase. There is no administrative surcharge, and there is no minimum charge for reading this paragraph. This paragraph is the entire agreement.
Signed — you, in about a minute