02 · Services

Six practice areas, each with a written scope

From careful contract and estate drafting to prepared civil advocacy, every engagement begins with a conflict check, a candid risk assessment and an engagement letter that states the exact scope and fee. A fee marked from is a starting figure for the simplest form of that work. Nothing on this page adds an item to a cart, holds an appointment or forms an attorney-client relationship.

An open early printed law book displayed under glass beside two small bound volumes. — An early printed law book under glass in a state law library. Each fee on this page is tied to a written scope.

All six practice areas

S-01

Initial strategy consultation

$250

Sixty minutes directly with a senior attorney to evaluate an active dispute, a proposed contract, a property issue or a family estate question, at the office or by video. The key documents are reviewed before the meeting; the attorney then explains your rights and practical leverage in plain English and outlines realistic timelines and costs. The fee is credited against any flat-fee package retained within 14 days.

Best for anyone with a legal question who does not yet know which kind of help, if any, is needed.

Usual timing sixty minutes, usually within five working days of asking.

Included

Confidential review of the key documents and a check of any statutory deadline
A candid assessment of the options and a clear roadmap of next steps

Not included drafting, letters to another party and any representation, each of which is a separate service.

S-02

Estate plan, wills and trusts

from $1,850

A tailored estate plan that spares a family avoidable probate delay and ambiguity, for individuals, married couples and blended families. Depending on the plan it includes a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, guardianship nominations, a durable financial power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive, with guidance on funding deeds into the trust. The final figure is confirmed in writing before any drafting starts.

Best for an individual or a family who want their wishes and their decision-makers set down properly.

Usual timing three to four weeks from the planning meeting to the signing meeting.

Included

A sixty-minute planning meeting and a written summary of the decisions taken
Drafts of the trust, will and powers of attorney, with one round of revisions
A formal signing ceremony with two witnesses and a notary provided by the firm
Deed-funding guidance and a note of where the signed originals are kept

Not included special-needs trusts, which are quoted separately, and probate administration, which the firm does not handle.

S-03

Business formation and contracts

from $1,250

Handshake agreements and generic online templates rarely survive a partner disagreement or an unpaid invoice. The firm structures LLCs, professional corporations and partnerships with custom operating or shareholder agreements, drafts enforceable service agreements and non-disclosure terms, and negotiates vendor terms that protect personal liability. The $99 state filing fee is paid directly to the Ohio Secretary of State and never appears on the firm’s invoice.

Best for owners starting or growing a company who want the terms between them agreed in writing.

Usual timing ten to fourteen working days from the first meeting.

Included

Articles of organization prepared and filed with the state
A custom operating or shareholder agreement with partner buy-sell terms

Not included licences, trademark searches and registrations, which are quoted separately.

Long rows of bound law reports on low shelves in a library reading area. — Bound law reports in a library stack. Every matter starts the same way: a conflict check, the documents in order and the scope agreed in writing.

S-04

Real estate and commercial leases

from $950

Whether the matter is a five-year retail lease or the purchase of an investment property, small clauses on personal guarantees, CAM charges and repair obligations carry real financial risk. The firm reviews and redlines lease and purchase agreements, works through title or boundary exceptions before closing, and protects the deposit and contingencies at each milestone. Fees are quoted per transaction or lease.

Best for a tenant, landlord or buyer about to sign a lease or a purchase contract.

Usual timing set around the signing or closing date named in the enquiry.

Included

A redlined lease or purchase agreement with plain-English notes
Review of the title commitment and any easement or boundary exception
Representation at the closing

Not included disputes that turn contested, which move to a written litigation retainer.

S-05

Civil and commercial disputes

Retainer-based

When a contract breach, a commercial lease default or a partnership deadlock threatens a livelihood, disciplined preparation often makes a settlement possible before trial. The firm handles pre-suit demand strategy, pleadings, discovery, mediation, arbitration and bench or jury trials in state and federal court. Work is billed hourly against a trust retainer, with an itemised statement every month. No outcome is predicted or promised.

Best for a business or property owner facing a contested claim or a demand letter.

Usual timing set by any court date or notice period, which is read first.

Included

A written assessment of the claim, the costs and the time limits
A pre-suit demand or settlement letter, if the client chooses to send one
Itemised monthly statements against the trust retainer

Not included expert witness fees, court filing fees and other third-party costs, which are passed on at cost and shown separately.

S-06

Outside general counsel

from $1,500 / month

A monthly advisory retainer for growing companies of five to a hundred employees that need seasoned legal oversight without the overhead of a full-time in-house attorney. Customer and vendor contracts, employment and contractor agreements, risk reviews and strategic questions get priority attention as they arise, from an attorney who already knows how the business runs.

Best for an owner fielding regular contract, policy and vendor questions with no lawyer on staff.

Usual timing ongoing, month to month, under a written retainer agreement.

Included

Priority turnaround on contract redlines and vendor renewals
Employment policy and contractor agreement review
Board governance and everyday operational risk questions

Not included contested litigation, which is engaged under its own trust retainer. No result is promised: the retainer provides advice and does not guarantee an outcome.

Matter timeline

The intervals a new matter usually runs to

Day 0The enquiry arrives, and a conflict check is run on every name in it.
Day 1A reply names the practice area that fits, the fee basis and the documents to send.
Day 3The engagement letter goes out for signature, setting out the scope and the fee.
Day 5The strategy consultation, at the office or by video.
Day 10Drafts, a redline or a written assessment are delivered.
Day 21The signing ceremony, the closing or the follow-up call, then a closing letter.

These are typical intervals for flat-fee work, not promised dates. Where an enquiry names a court date, a notice period or a closing deadline, that date is read first and the timeline is set around it.

Reading the timeline

Not every matter uses every row. Estate plans and trusts and business formation run the full timeline to a signing ceremony or a state filing; civil disputes put any court date first. The strategy consultation finishes within the hour, real estate work follows the closing date, and general counsel runs month to month.

A day on this list is a typical interval, not an appointment. Nothing on this page holds a place in a diary.

Side by side

The six practice areas, compared on four points

The figures repeat what each practice area above already states, and a starting fee still applies to the scope printed with it.

The six practice areas compared by fee, usual timing and first step
Service	Fee	Usual timing	First step
S-01 Initial strategy consultation	$250, credited within 14 days	60 minutes, within 5 working days	Send the key documents
S-02 Estate plan, wills and trusts	from $1,850, flat fee	3–4 weeks	Say who the plan is for
S-03 Business formation and contracts	from $1,250, plus the $99 state fee	10–14 working days	Name the owners
S-04 Real estate and commercial leases	from $950 per transaction or lease	Set by the closing date	Send the draft lease or contract
S-05 Civil and commercial disputes	Trust retainer, itemised hourly	Set by any court date	Send the demand or the notices
S-06 Outside general counsel	from $1,500 a month	Ongoing, month to month	Describe the business

03 · Process

How contact works

01

Send the form or write

Name the practice area and the question that matters most. The form asks for a name, an email address, an optional telephone number, the service, the client type and a message of at least twenty characters. The name of any other party helps the conflict check.

02

Receive a written reply

A reply arrives by email or telephone during office hours, Monday to Friday between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. It states whether the firm can take the matter, what it would cost and what it would need.

03

Sign the engagement letter, then start

Work begins only after the scope and the fee are set out in an engagement letter and signed. Until then no attorney-client relationship exists, and nothing said should be treated as legal advice.

04 · Suitability

If two practice areas seem to overlap

A lease can become a dispute and a new company soon needs contracts, so a description alone cannot settle every case. When two options read the same way, the strategy consultation is usually the shorter route, and its $250 fee is credited against a flat-fee package retained within 14 days. Name both in the contact form and the firm will say which scope fits.

Also useful

Eight questions answered
Who handles which matters
How the firm works

05 · Contact

Schedule a strategy consultation

Name the practice area and the firm will run its conflict check, then confirm the scope and the fee in an engagement letter before anything begins.

Book Send an enquiry

Or write to hello@ashcombestreetlaw.example and the firm replies Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.