We act for founders from incorporation to Series A. Every matter is quoted as a fixed fee in writing, and the fee does not move once you accept it.
One fixed fee per matterNo hourly clock, no surprise invoices, no minimum spend.
A scope note in two working daysWhat we will do, what we will not, and the price, on one page.
One named lawyerThe partner you meet is the partner who does the work.
Narrow on purpose. A firm that does everything cannot quote a fixed fee for anything, because it has never done the same job twice.
Incorporation, articles, a founders' agreement with vesting and leaver terms, and the cap table set up correctly the first time.
From £1,800SAFEs and advance subscription agreements, priced seed rounds, term sheet review, and the investor disclosure that goes with them.
From £2,400Contracts for your first hires, contractor agreements, an EMI option scheme with HMRC valuation, and grants done on time.
From £1,600Customer terms, SaaS agreements, a master services agreement you can send without reading it again, and the negotiation when a buyer marks it up.
From £2,900Privacy policy, records of processing, data processing agreements with your vendors, and a plain answer on whether you need a data protection officer.
From £1,400Trade mark searches and filings in the UK and EU, assignment of intellectual property from founders and contractors, and licensing when you sell what you built.
From £950These are the matters we quote most often, at the fee we quote them. Tick the ones you need and the total is what you would pay, excluding VAT and any government filing fees.
Anything not listed still gets a fixed quote. It just takes us the two working days to write it.
£0
Excludes VAT at 20% and third-party fees. Not an engagement until a scope note is signed.
If a matter turns out to be larger than the scope note described, we tell you before doing the extra work and quote it separately. We have never sent an invoice for more than the number on the scope note, and we do not intend to start.
A fee you learn about after the work is done is not a fee. It is a surprise, and founders have enough of those.
Eleanor Calder, founding partner
Each of us spent a decade or more at large firms before deciding that the way those firms bill is the wrong way to serve a company with eighteen months of runway.
Eleanor spent twelve years in the corporate group of a large City firm, the last four as a partner, acting for venture funds on their investments. She founded the firm to sit on the other side of the table, at a price the other side can afford.
Admitted 2007 · Previously a partner at a Magic Circle firm · Read law at Durham
Tomas was general counsel at a payments company from its seed round to its acquisition, and before that a commercial lawyer in-house at a broadcaster. He writes the contracts that get signed without a second round of comments.
Admitted 2009 · Previously general counsel, Series A to exit · Read law at Edinburgh
Priya ran the share schemes practice at a national firm and has set up more than two hundred EMI schemes. She is the reason our option grants go out the week the offer is accepted, not the quarter after.
Admitted 2011 · Previously head of share schemes at a national firm · Read law at King's College London
Thirty minutes with a partner. You describe what you need; we tell you whether it is something we do, and roughly what it costs. No charge, no follow-up sequence.
One page. What we will deliver, what is excluded, the fixed fee, and when it will be done. You sign it or you do not; either way, nothing is owed until you do.
The partner you spoke to does the work. You get a short written note every Friday it is in progress, and a draft you can read without a glossary.
Sent when the matter closes, for the number on the scope note. Thirty-day terms. If something changed along the way, you already knew about it and agreed the price.
A fixed fee only works when we have done the job many times. For the matters below we have not, so we will not pretend. We keep a short list of firms we trust and make the introduction ourselves.
The first call is thirty minutes with a partner and it is free. Write to us or pick a slot; either way you hear back within one working day.
hello@calderrowe.law