Fees
This page contains information about fees, including our Mini‑Retainer programs, Quick Consults™, flat fees, in‑person consultations, and special arrangements for start‑up ventures.
Click here for the
Standard Fees for Services rate chart.
For a custom quote on services, please use the Prospective Client Inquiry form on the Contact page. Mr. Cooper will respond via phone or email.
Free Initial Telephone Call
There is no charge for your first 10-15 minute phone call with Mr. Cooper to discuss your business and legal needs. Please understand, however, that he cannot give legal advice to non-clients, so you should not expect to receive legal advice during this initial call. The purpose of this first conversation is to provide you with information about how an attorney can help you, evaluate the scope of work required, and give you an estimate of cost.
If you want legal advice, or need more than 15 minutes, telephone Quick Consults may be available (subject to a conflicts check) at a rate of $75 per half-hour, paid in advance via PayPal.
Full-Service Legal Fees
Keith E. Cooper offers the assurance of traditional full-service arrangements to clients who want an attorney to handle their transactions from start to finish. This includes strategizing possible courses of action, doing legal research, negotiating deals, drafting docouments, phone consultations, e‑mails, in‑person meetings, and following up with third parties.
Full-service legal may be the ideal option for individuals or business who have an ongoing need for legal services and management advice, or where the scope of work can not be readily determined in advance.
Full service clients are billed at negotiated hourly rates, with a fee agreement and deposit required before work begins. The amount of the retainer depends upon the scope of help desired.
Pre-Paid Flat Fees
Mr. Cooper offers affordable flat rates for certain pre‑paid services, such as business formation; trademark registration; copyright registration; comprehensive production legal services for a motion picture production; and the Mini‑Retainer programs described elsewhere on this page.
For a complete description of flat‑fee services, please review the current Pre‑Paid Fees for Services rate chart.
In-Person Consultations
If you would like to meet with Mr. Cooper in person, the charge for the initial consultation is a flat fee of $250 for one hour, payable in advance. During that time, Mr. Cooper can discuss your project or other matter in detail, review documents, assess the types of issues that may arise in your project, give you legal advice and, if additional work is required, give you an estimate of its cost.
Sometimes, this single meeting is all that is required to resolve a legal issue or set a course of action. There is no further obligation after the initial meeting unless you enter into a fee agreement with Mr. Cooper.
In-person consultations after the first are available at a pre-paid rate of $125 per half-hour, with a one-hour minimum per meeting. For existing clients who prefer to be billed in arrears, the contractual hourly rate applies.
Please call for an appointment for an in-person meeting. Appointments are not available through this website.
Arrangements for Start-up Ventures
The fee for assisting with a start-up venture is negotiable based upon the client's requirements, but generally includes a fixed fee and a profit participation in the venture. The combination of fee and participation is intended to provide flexibility where initial capital is limited. With such arrangements, Mr. Cooper generally provides management consulting services in addition to legal services, and may take a role as a director or officer of the start-up company.
Production Counsel Fees
Please visit ProductionCounsel.com for information about Mr. Cooper's motion picture legal services. Production counsel fees are quoted as flat rates for a defined scope of services. The fee varies with the scope of the project and services needed.
DVD Seminar Series
Mr. Cooper created the video/book DVD series, "What Every Filmmaker Needs to Know About the Law," distributed by Cekent Concepts, Inc. The DVD series is an affordable way for filmmakers to get their general legal questions answered without the high cost of paying an attorney's hourly rate. The current four volumes in the series are: Setting Up Your Company, Rights, Negotiation, and Contracts. Each volume includes a video lecture/slide presentation with a companion book on the same disk.
Mr. Cooper's clients are eligible to purchase this set from Cekent Concepts at the special discounted price of $200 (half of the current market price). For comprehensive production legal services clients, the set is included in the flat rate quoted, and clients are encouraged to view it early so that many common questions are answered quickly, conveniently and completely.
Please note that the Law Office of Keith E. Cooper, Esq. is engaged only in providing legal services and does not sell the DVDs.
Deferred or Contingent Fees
Mr. Cooper offers a la carte services on a flat fee basis (described elsewhere on this page) as a way of making his services affordable to small businesses.
Generally, Mr. Cooper does not provide legal services on a contingent fee or deferred basis.
"Contingent" means that compensation is calculated as a percentage of money received from a transaction. "Deferred" means that payment is made at some point in the future, usually when a client receives money from others. Mr. Cooper's fees are due and payable at the time services are rendered.
In exceptional circumstances where a start-up venturer is not able to afford standard legal fees, but has received a firm offer of financing for his or her project, Mr. Cooper may agree to defer payment, subject to certain restrictions.
PLEASE NOTE, however, that alternate payment arrangements may be offered only after Mr. Cooper has reviewed all the elements of your project (such as prototypes, budget, people involved, marketing plan, and any financing or distribution arrangements). Also be aware that, with such arrangements, Mr. Cooper requires that he be authorized to receive all payments from money sources in trust for you, deduct the amount owed him, and remit the remaining balance to you, until he is paid in full.
Mediation Fees
Mr. Cooper's current fee for serving as a mediator is $350 per hour, with a three-hour minimum per session, due when the mediation is scheduled, and all parties must agree to attend. In addition, there is an initial advance payment of $250 per mediation (not per session) to cover the administrative costs of convening the mediation, reviewing documents, and other preparation. The total due in advance is $1,300 (the time reservation is not confirmed until payment is received). The parties to the dispute typically share the costs of mediation equally (i.e., if there are 2 sides to the dispute, each would pay a deposit of $650), but the parties may specify otherwise.
If it is necessary for us to arrange a conference room or other space for the mediation, the cost of the room would be in addition to the costs specified above and any deposits would be the responsibility of the parties.