All Subscription Tiers, except the entry-level @VC Launch tier, are offered on an annual Subscription Commitment Term that automatically renews at the end of each twelve (12) month term, unless otherwise terminated pursuant to this Agreement. Only the @VC Launch tier is structured as a pure month-to-month engagement with no annual commitment.

During the Subscription Commitment Term, you may upgrade to a higher Subscription Tier at the then-current pricing upon written notice to us, but you may not downgrade to a lower Subscription Tier.

At the end of the Subscription Commitment Term, you may request to downgrade or cancel your @VC Monthly Subscription by providing at least thirty (30) days' written notice to @VC before the end of your then-current term. If you provide such notice, your downgrade or cancellation shall take effect at the end of the then-current term. Any such requests made outside of the thirty (30) day window shall become effective at the end of the next Subscription Commitment Term.  

@VC Monthly Subscriptions bill on the same calendar day each month that the subscription commenced. Each monthly payment is considered earned when charged and is deposited directly into our operating account at that time. A valid payment method must be kept on file at all times and will be used for subsequent billing cycles. Payment methods can be changed at your discretion.

@VC Monthly Subscriptions include a defined set of deliverables specified in the Scope of Work.

We've found that business and the law are fluid. Some months you may use the subscription services heavily, and some months you may not use them at all. Regardless of your usage, we are reserving and committing our time and resources to account for your subscription commitment.

Therefore, you acknowledge and agree that you are obligated to pay the @VC Monthly Subscription fee during the Subscription Commitment Term, regardless of your actual usage of the subscription services.

As our clients scale, the volume and complexity of work tend to increase and become more regular. We monitor subscription usage and scope and will communicate in good faith any request for services that is out of scope, which may require a Subscription Tier upgrade or ad hoc Flat Fee or hourly billing from time to time.

Legal fees are often a hot topic with our clients, so we want to share our philosophy with you.

We prefer to engage in a Flat Fee or @VC Monthly Subscription for legal projects instead of charging by the hour because we plan to become strategic partners with our clients, and we want to help you grow. We have found that engaging in a Flat Fee or @VC Monthly Subscription fosters a better attorney-client relationship.

Because we want you to succeed, we will always treat you with respect and fairness. We never want you to be shocked with a surprise bill. That said, it is not a requirement to engage us through a Flat Fee or @VC Monthly Subscription, as some matters are better suited for hourly billing. If/when hourly billing becomes necessary or preferable from either or both parties’ perspectives, we will discuss it with you in a collaborative forum.

Click here to see all of our flat fee services.

For Flat Fee projects, we will send you a fee quote in writing by electronic means, which will specifically describe the parameters of the project, i.e., the Scope of Work. Payments for Flat Fees are required before beginning work and are considered earned and deposited directly into our operating account when charged.
‍
All Flat Fee projects are capped at a certain amount of hours of total Firm billable time, as indicated in each Scope of Work on the corresponding quote or invoice ("Total Project Hours"). The Total Project Hours cap is designed to provide ample time to complete the initial Scope of Work and also to create a boundary in the event the Scope of Work expands beyond what was initially communicated or anticipated by the Client and/or the Firm.
‍
If the Scope of Work exceeds the Total Project Hours for any Flat Fee project, we will communicate the expanded scope in good faith and offer to complete it at 20% off our standard hourly rates.

We take a strong stance on hourly billing, preferring to quote reasonable Flat Fees or engaging with our clients in an ongoing @VC Monthly Subscription for legal services. However, from time to time our clients choose to hire us on a traditional hourly basis.

For projects or work product that is billed hourly, the Firm's hourly rates are as follows:

• $750/hour for Transactional, Tax, or Special Counsel, as needed from time to time on special transactional matters;
• $600/hour for Senior Attorneys and/or all securities, transactional, and equity-related legal work;
• $500/hour for Associate Attorneys and/or all other legal work;
• $250/hour for Paralegals and Law Clerks.

Our hourly rates may increase in the future. Any such increase will only occur upon written notice to you. If you decline to pay the increased rates, we will have the right to withdraw as attorney for you if permitted under the Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of California and/or applicable law.

Time is charged in minimum units of tenth-of-an-hour increments (0.1). Time spent on a task will be rounded up to the nearest tenth-of-an-hour. Unless we agree otherwise in writing by electronic means, all work will be billed on an hourly basis.

For projects that are billed hourly, the Firm requires a minimum retainer deposit or payment method on file. The @VC Billing department will provide the Client with detailed invoices for hourly projects every two weeks, which will become payable within five (5) business days. During that time, please carefully review the detailed invoice and raise any questions or concerns you may have with the @VC Billing department.  

Absent any questions or concerns, we will draw down on the retainer deposit to cover the invoice. We will replenish the retainer deposit in equal installments using a payment method on file.      

Retainer deposit funds belong to you, the Client, until we earn fees by invoicing our services. Any funds paid towards retainer deposits will be deposited into our firm's trust account and handled in accordance with our trust accounting policies pursuant to California Rule of Professional Conduct 4-100 and Business and Professions Code §§ 6211-13. This does not apply to Flat Fees or @VC Monthly Subscription fees, which are considered earned when charged. Unless we agree to a Flat Fee or @VC Monthly Subscription, all work will be billed on an hourly basis.

At any time, you are entitled to request a return of the remaining balance in your retainer account by written notice to billing@atvirtualcounsel.com.

Our fees DO NOT include third-party charges for postage, filing fees, license fees, application fees, or other charges and fees. Notably, this includes fees associated with forming a corporate entity and/or amending Articles/Certificates of Incorporation or other similar corporate documents and/or filing with governmental authorities. When we pay those fees on your behalf, you will be billed for them at cost.

Book your free consultation here now!

LegalZoom and BizCounsel have done a great job of providing low costs to its customers - they rely heavily on templates that can be found almost anywhere on the internet and also don’t deep dive into YOU and your business as much as @VirtualCounsel does.

With @VirtualCounsel, you have a dedicated attorney point of contact who develops a deep understanding of your business model, goals, and way of operating - we provide far more than templates. We become true counsel in short order based on the level of involvement we have with you and your business - we balance legal protection with business goals and become strategic advisors that are more than just lawyers.

We are a tight team and like it that way. We have work/life balance ourselves. Names, faces, families, souls. No corporate bureaucracy. Big law firms employ humans too, but they are kind of like a top-down scheme that focuses on demanding work hours from lower-level associates who are incentivized to increase billable hours and not incentivized to increase their or their clients’ success and happiness.

We developed our model so that we can select powerful businesses to align with as our clients and provide true partnership and counsel - our clients’ success and happiness are directly aligned with our success and happiness.

VirtualCounsel, PC (i.e., @VirtualCounsel) is a virtual law firm, headquartered in San Diego, CA.

@VirtualCounsel™️ is not a law firm. Any legal services will be performed by the law firm VirtualCounsel, PC, a California professional law corporation.

VirtualCounsel, PC (i.e., @VirtualCounsel) is a virtual law firm headquartered in San Diego, CA. We are progressive corporate attorneys. We are a startup ourselves, and we built our law firm to serve startups in the way that we believe a professional service provider should serve their clients.

Yes. At the beginning of a relationship you will have a kick-off call with one of our talented attorneys who will operate as your primary point of contact. Even better, our technology gives our whole firm - all attorneys, legal staff, etc. - visibility into every client’s confidential portal. So you will have a team of bright minds collaborating on the important work for your business - and will always have your primary attorney point of contact running point.

We provide representation and advice on the specific legal matters you have hired us for, which means that our work together is limited to the Representation. If a project falls outside of the Scope of Work, we will always discuss the parameters of the work and fees with you before moving forward with it.

Additionally, if your business changes substantially, we will discuss the change in Scope of Work and will agree to a revised fee arrangement. Representation on any future matters will be subject to the terms of this Agreement and any other fee arrangements we may mutually agree upon. The question of whether a matter or issue falls within the scope of this Representation will be handled with common sense, mutual agreement, mutual respect, and fairness to both parties.