Fractional General Counsel / IP Officer

Every engagement in this service

Market-benchmarked flat-fee legal pricing. Attorney fees are scoped in advance against a written deliverable and set with reference to public competitor ranges and official USPTO, Copyright Office, and WIPO fees. Government and third-party fees are billed separately, at cost.

• Early-Stage Fractional GC

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $1,200 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $1,200 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Pre-revenue and early-revenue companies that need predictable access to general legal and IP counsel.

  What’s included

  • Defined monthly hours of attorney time.
  • Standing access to email/working sessions for in-scope questions.
  • Light-touch review of routine contracts and IP questions.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Substantial drafting, litigation, financings, or contested IP matters (separate engagement).
  • Government and third-party fees.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.
  • Designate a primary point of contact and prioritization process internally.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.
  • Defined monthly hour bank; hours do not roll over indefinitely.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.
  • Sustained monthly overage of the hour bank can trigger an upgrade or an overage-rate addendum.

  Deliverables
  Ongoing counsel; monthly recap available on request.

  Typical timing
  Continuous (monthly renewal).

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Growth-Stage Fractional GC

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $2,400 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $2,400 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Growth-stage companies that have outgrown the Early-Stage tier and need more hours and broader scope.

  What’s included

  • Larger monthly hour bank vs. Early-Stage.
  • Standing review of routine contracts and IP work in scope.
  • Working sessions with founders / leadership team.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Litigation, contested IP, M&A, and financings (separate engagement).

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Ongoing counsel; monthly recap available on request.

  Typical timing
  Continuous (monthly renewal).

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Senior Fractional GC + CIPO

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $4,500 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $4,500 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  IP-heavy companies that want senior fractional GC support plus active Chief IP Officer oversight in one engagement.

  What’s included

  • Senior fractional GC scope (broader hour bank).
  • Active CIPO oversight: portfolio review, prosecution strategy, and disclosure routing.
  • Regular working sessions with leadership.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Litigation, contested IP, M&A, and financings.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Ongoing counsel and CIPO oversight; monthly recap.

  Typical timing
  Continuous.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Fractional Chief IP Officer

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $3,900 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $3,900 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Companies that need active IP-officer oversight without full GC scope (e.g., when in-house GC already exists).

  What’s included

  • Portfolio review, prosecution oversight, and IP committee participation.
  • Disclosure-intake process owner.
  • Working sessions with leadership and inventors.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Substantial drafting and prosecution work (billed under the relevant flat or tiered fee).

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Ongoing CIPO oversight; monthly recap.

  Typical timing
  Continuous.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Fractional GC / IP Officer

  Subscription · Attorney fee: From $1,800 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: From $1,800 / month
  Starting at $1,800 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  A streamlined fractional GC / IP officer subscription.

  What’s included
  Defined monthly hour bank for in-scope counsel work.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Substantial drafting and contested matters (separate engagement).

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Ongoing counsel; monthly recap on request.

  Typical timing
  Continuous.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Contract Review Desk

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $1,750 / month

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $1,750 / month
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Teams with steady contract volume who want a predictable monthly review desk for inbound counterparty contracts.

  What’s included

  • Defined monthly volume of contract reviews.
  • Issues memos and short markups within scope.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Bespoke template builds and counterparty negotiation (separate engagement).

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.
  • Provide a standard intake form for each submitted contract.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.
  • Volume cap defined in engagement letter; overage handled per agreed terms.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Monthly issues memos and markups.

  Typical timing
  Continuous.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Quarterly Risk Snapshot

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $1,200 / quarter

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $1,200 / quarter
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Clients who want a recurring quarterly written snapshot of their top IP and legal risks.

  What’s included

  • Working session each quarter.
  • Short written risk snapshot tailored to the client’s business.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Quarterly snapshot memo.

  Typical timing
  Each quarter.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• IP Portfolio Audit

  Subscription · Attorney fee: $150 / asset / year

  Engagement type: Subscription

  Attorney fee: $150 / asset / year
  $150 per asset per year (e.g., per patent or trademark, subject to minimums per engagement letter)
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Companies that want a low-touch annual audit of their IP portfolio with attorney commentary on each asset.

  What’s included
  Annual attorney review and short written commentary per asset.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Maintenance filings (separate per-asset flat fees).
  • Substantive prosecution or enforcement work.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.
  • Provide a current IP register.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.
  • Minimum number of assets per engagement letter.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Annual portfolio audit and per-asset commentary.

  Typical timing

  • Annual.
  • Pre-litigation evaluation, enforcement letters, technical claim analysis, IPR/PTAB support, and litigation handoff services. Many entries are tiered or “starting-at” because dispute matters scale rapidly with the conduct of the other side.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Board / Investor Readiness

  Flat Fee · Attorney fee: $6,500

  Engagement type: Flat Fee

  Attorney fee: $6,500
  $6,500 (flat)
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  A focused pre-board / pre-investor engagement to package IP and legal posture in clear, decision-ready terms.

  What’s included

  • Review of current IP and key-contract posture.
  • Short board- or investor-facing deck or memo with prioritized findings.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Securities work and transaction lawyering.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Readiness deck or memo.

  Typical timing
  Typically 3–4 weeks.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• Sales Team Playbook (IP / Legal)

  Flat Fee · Attorney fee: $3,200

  Engagement type: Flat Fee

  Attorney fee: $3,200
  $3,200 (flat)
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  Sales teams who need a clear, practical playbook on what they can and cannot say or commit to during deals (IP, data, claims, security).

  What’s included

  • Working session with sales leadership.
  • Written playbook with allowed/avoid language and escalation rules.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Per-deal contract negotiation.

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Sales team playbook.

  Typical timing
  Typically 3–4 weeks.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

• IP Strategy Consult

  Flat Fee · Attorney fee: From $250 (credit toward engagement)

  Engagement type: Flat Fee

  Attorney fee: From $250 (credit toward engagement)
  Starting at $250 · Credited toward an engagement of $1,500 or more if engaged within a stated window
  USPTO / USCO / WIPO fees billed separately at cost.

  Best for
  An initial strategy consult, with a credit toward a larger engagement.

  What’s included
  Working call and short follow-up notes.

  What’s NOT included

  • Government, third-party, foreign-associate, translation, courier, and vendor fees.
  • Continued prosecution, additional office actions, or post-allowance work beyond what is expressly itemized.
  • Litigation, contested proceedings (IPR/PGR/PTAB, oppositions, cancellations), or appeal work.
  • Work on additional applications, jurisdictions, classes, or marks not listed in the engagement letter.
  • Drafting or filing work; full strategy memo (see IP Portfolio Strategy).

  Client responsibilities

  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely technical / business disclosures.
  • Review and approve drafts and filings before submission.
  • Pay government and third-party fees in advance of any filing deadline.

  Assumptions

  • Standard complexity for the service category.
  • One primary applicant or business entity; one primary jurisdiction unless otherwise stated.
  • One round of substantive client revisions included.
  • No material adverse facts (e.g., prior public disclosure, intervening prior art) discovered after engagement.

  Scope-change triggers

  • Material change in scope, claims, embodiments, classes, marks, or jurisdictions.
  • Adversarial action by a third party (opposition, cancellation, declaratory action).
  • Expedited / emergency turnaround required to meet a statutory or self-imposed deadline.
  • After-discovered prior art, prior use, or undisclosed prior filings.

  Deliverables
  Working call and follow-up notes.

  Typical timing
  Typically scheduled within 1–2 weeks.

  Pay for this service or book a call first.

Final fee confirmed in the engagement letter. Figures on this page are illustrative. Flat fees may be split into milestones where the engagement letter allows.

Questions about the retainer

• What does it cost, and what is the commitment?

  Pricing is a flat monthly fee, set during scoping based on how much work your stage and sector actually generate. A team signing two contracts a quarter is a different engagement from one negotiating enterprise agreements every week. The fee, the scope, and what falls outside it are all agreed in writing before the engagement letter is signed, so there is no ambiguity about what a given month includes.

• Is this the same as having an in house lawyer?

  Functionally close, structurally different. You get a consistent point of contact who knows the business, attends the conversations that matter, and is available for the quick questions that founders otherwise avoid asking because of the billing meter. What you do not get is an employee, which is precisely the point: no recruiting cost, no benefits, no equity, and no obligation once the engagement ends.

• What happens when we outgrow it?

  That is the expected outcome, not a failure of the arrangement. Around twenty people, most ventures are ready for a full time general counsel. At that point the role becomes helping you scope the hire, and handing over a portfolio, a contract record and an IP docket that are already in order, rather than a filing cabinet the new hire has to reconstruct.

• Does the retainer include patent drafting and filings?

  Filings are usually scoped separately. The retainer covers judgement, oversight and the ongoing work: deciding what to file, reviewing contracts, watching deadlines and answering questions. Drafting a full non provisional application is a substantial discrete project with its own flat fee, quoted when the decision to file is made. That split keeps the monthly fee predictable rather than absorbing an unpredictable drafting load.