Request A Consultation
Click the Consultation button to get started.

June 16, 2009

Monthly Flat Fees Can Make Sense For Businesses Large and Small

The Value of a Monthly Flat Fee: 

Predictability and Control of Legal Spend.  The Client agrees to pay a fixed monthly fee.  CLG agrees to provide a specified level of service per month.  No surprise bills.  No worries about running up a large legal bill.

Client Prioritizes Legal Services.  Each month the Client tells CLG which projects to put at the top of the list, which to put off until next month.  The Client is in control of what work gets done this month.  This allows the Client and CLG to be agile and front-burner projects that need attention right away.

Scalable Legal Services.   If the Client's needs for a particular month exceed the agreed service level (based on the agreed monthly fee), CLG and the Client work together to set a value for the above-and-beyond project at hand.  CLG is paid that agreed-value for the project.  The Client remains in control of its legal expenses.

June 11, 2009

Important update:  I now have a fridge in my office.  So clients and guests can help themselves to bottled water and soda.

I'm taking some small steps this month to make CLG 'green.'  Here is what I'm doing now that is 'green':

1. 0.7 mile commute (I don't walk to/from work as often as I'd like)
2. very rarely send out hard copies of documents or letters (use scanner/email)
3. exclusive use of e-billing
4. board membership and support of the International Green Industry Hall of Fame www.gogreenhall.org

This month I'm buying a serious scanner to move toward a paperless law office. 

I'm loving my office space at Office Bay.  If you are looking for office space of any kind (virtual office, one-man office, multi-person office, etc.), check out www.cargobay.com

May 28, 2009

Nearly one month since opening the doors of the Corrigan Law Group! No regrets!

A Smiling Lawyer:

A fellow lawyer in my office buidling recently remarked that I always look happy. I thought about her comment for a minute and then responded, 'I like what I do, I like my clients and I like my freedom.' 

So far this experiment (leaving a secure position at an established full service law firm to launch a small law boutique) is going better than I expected.  I am enjoying being a business owner, and I can already see the value the experience is adding to my legal services. 

May 21, 2009

It's been almost 3 weeks since opening the doors of CLG. Without a doubt the best weeks of my legal career. Thank you to many friends, colleagues and clients for your continued encouragement. I remember my favorite college professor repeatedly saying that he was amazed he was being paid to do something he'd probably do for free. My experience working with entrepreneurs, start-ups and smallish to mid-sized companies has always been rewarding. They are such an interesting and energized group of people - it rubs off, even on lawyers. Now that I've crossed the line and joined the ranks of my entrepreneur friends and clients, life as a lawyer is even better.

May 15, 2009

Welcome to Corrigan Law Group’s website!  On May 1 of this year, I took the leap from Fresno BigLaw to start a new kind of law practice.  Corrigan Law Group (CLG) is a California professional corporation.  That’s what the “PC” in the name stands for.  The focus of CLG will be the entrepreneur, the start-up and the small to mid-sized privately held company.  If you or your company are located in the Fresno/Clovis area, I look forward to seeing you face to face.  If you are outside the area, let’s start (or continue) a dialogue via e-mail and phone, for now.  Video conferencing and virtual conferencing coming soon.    You are looking at Phase One of the CLG site.  Phase Two will be much, much more interactive and will have much more content.
 
The purpose of forming CLG is to provide a smart alternative to traditional law firms.  CLG’s physical office space is modern and professional, but not opulent.  We have access to professional (and wired) conference rooms.  Currently CLG consists of one full-time lawyer (me), one admin person, and one part-time book keeper/accountant. The next personnel add will be either a legal secretary or a paralegal.   CLG’s law library is almost entirely electronic, which means less overhead and more efficient legal research.
 
One core value of CLG is that we will bill our clients the way we would want to be billed.  If you like being billed by the hour, we can do that.  If you prefer to be billed a flat rate for a specific project, we can do that.  If you prefer to use CLG as an outsourced general counsel and pay an ongoing monthly fee for an agreed-upon scope of services/hours, we can do that.  It’s up to you.  And as a direct consequence of our office/staffing/technology choices, you will find no matter which billing method you choose, you will get more value on your legal spend with CLG.