Retainer
A dedicated legal adviser on a fixed monthly fee. Priority access, proactive advice, and a consistent relationship with someone who knows your business inside out.
What It Is
The Retainer is built for businesses that have moved past occasional legal questions and need something more consistent. Not a law firm on speed dial — a working relationship with a senior adviser who knows your contracts, your team, and how your business operates.
Fixed monthly fee. Agreed upfront. It covers routine legal work — contract reviews, document drafting, employment questions, commercial advice — without the clock running. If something falls outside scope, you know before we start and the cost is agreed first.
It runs like a subscription. It feels like having a lawyer in the building.
What Is Included
The Retainer covers the full range of routine legal work a growing business generates. The scope is agreed at the start — and if something sits outside it, we tell you before we proceed, not after.
A Retainer in Practice
The value of a retainer is easier to show than to describe. Here is a representative month — anonymised, but representative of the kind of work a retainer covers.
Day 3
Contract review
A supplier sent their standard terms with an unusual indemnity clause that would have shifted significant liability. Reviewed, annotated, and returned with a redlined version within 24 hours.
Day 8
Employment advice
HR flagged uncertainty about a long-term contractor's IR35 status ahead of a renewal. Advised on the assessment, recommended a process change, and drafted a revised engagement letter.
Day 14
Proactive flag
During routine review, noticed an incoming customer agreement contained a limitation of liability clause well below market standard. Client was alerted and renegotiated before signing.
Day 21
Quarterly review
Quarterly legal review call: three outstanding items from the previous review closed out, two new items identified and added to the shared tracker with agreed timelines.
Day 26
Document drafting
Sales team had a new enterprise prospect asking for an NDA before a detailed conversation. Bespoke NDA drafted, reviewed, and sent same day.
Day 30
Monthly summary
End-of-month summary sent: everything handled during the month, open items with status, and two things to watch for in the month ahead. No surprises.
Who It Is For
01
Revenue is up, the team is growing, and contracts are coming in from all directions. The volume of legal work has passed the point where ad hoc advice is efficient. You need someone who can keep up with the pace of the business.
02
A funding round, an acquisition conversation, or a significant new contract — all situations where you need a legal adviser who already knows your documents, your structure, and your risk profile. A Retainer means you are not starting from scratch at the worst possible moment.
03
A dispute, a contract that did not protect you, an employment issue you did not see coming. The lesson most businesses learn the hard way is that legal problems are cheaper to prevent than to fix. The Retainer is the prevention.
How to Get Started
Getting started is straightforward. A brief call to confirm fit, a scope agreed in writing, and we can have you covered quickly. No lengthy onboarding, no legal complexity in getting started.
Get in touch30 minutes. We confirm the fit, understand your current legal setup, and agree what the retainer will cover. No preparation needed.
You receive a clear written summary of what is covered, what is not, and the fixed monthly fee. Nothing starts until you have confirmed this in writing.
Engagement letter countersigned, and you are covered from that point. We send an introductory document request to get up to speed on your existing contracts and structure.
Ready to talk?
A Retainer is not right for every business at every stage. Get in touch and we will give you an honest answer. If Discovery Day is a better starting point, we will say so.
All Retainer engagements begin with a qualifying call. No obligation.