Practice areas

01 The first mandate

Initial strategy consultation

$250

An hour with an attorney to weigh an active dispute, a proposed contract, a property question or a family estate. The key documents are read before the meeting; the hour is spent on your rights and practical leverage in plain English, realistic timelines and what each route would cost. The fee is credited in full towards any flat-fee package retained within 14 days.

Best for anyone facing a decision, a deadline or a demand letter.

Included

• Review of key documents before the meeting
• A check of every statutory and contractual deadline
• A clear written roadmap of next steps and likely costs

Not included

No representation begins, and no attorney-client relationship is formed, until an engagement letter is signed.

Timing

60 minutes, in person in Savannah or by secure video.

Transactional and contested work

• 02

  Civil and commercial disputes

  hourly, on retainer

  When a contract breach, a commercial lease default or a partnership deadlock threatens a livelihood, disciplined preparation often secures a fair settlement before trial, because the other side can see the file is ready for court. The work runs from pre-suit demand strategy through pleadings, discovery, mediation and arbitration to bench or jury trial in state and federal court.

  Best for a business or individual already in a dispute, or about to be.

  Included

  • Pre-suit demand negotiation and a written litigation plan
  • Pleadings, discovery and mediation or arbitration
  • Itemised monthly statements against the trust retainer

  Not included

  No outcome is promised; every dispute turns on its own facts and on what the other side does.

  Timing

  Set by the court calendar and the other side’s response.

• 03

  Estate planning, wills and trusts

  from $1,850

  A tailored plan that spares a family avoidable probate delay and ambiguity, for individuals, married couples and blended families. It brings together a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, guardianship nominations, financial powers of attorney and an advance healthcare directive, with guidance on funding the trust, and it ends in a formal witnessed signing at the firm’s office.

  Best for a household putting its affairs in order, whether or not an event has prompted it.

  Included

  • A revocable living trust and a pour-over will
  • Financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and guardianship nominations
  • A supervised, witnessed signing, with a bound copy of every document

  Not included

  No tax return is prepared here, and the practice does not act as executor.

  Timing

  Three to four weeks from consultation to signing.

• 04

  Real estate transactions and commercial leases

  from $950

  In a five-year retail lease or an investment purchase, small clauses on personal guarantees, common-area charges and repair obligations carry real financial risk. The firm reviews and redlines lease and purchase agreements, clears title and boundary exceptions before closing, and protects the deposit and the contingencies at every milestone. The fee is quoted per transaction or per lease.

  Best for a tenant, landlord, buyer or seller with a draft in hand and a date to meet.

  Included

  • Commercial lease negotiation and redlining
  • Purchase and sale contracts drafted or reviewed
  • Title commitment and easement review, and representation at closing

  Not included

  No mortgage is arranged and no survey is carried out, and the practice does not act for both sides of the same transaction.

  Timing

  Worked to the dates the contract or the lease sets.

• 05

  Business formation and contracts

  from $1,250

  Handshake agreements and generic online templates rarely survive a partner disagreement or an unpaid invoice. The firm forms LLCs, professional corporations and partnerships in Georgia with custom operating or shareholder agreements, drafts enforceable master service agreements and non-disclosure covenants, and negotiates vendor or acquisition terms that protect the owners’ personal liability.

  Best for one or more owners starting a business, or formalising one already trading.

  Included

  • Formation documents filed with the Georgia Secretary of State
  • A multi-member operating or shareholder agreement, with buy-sell terms
  • Client service and vendor contracts drafted to the business

  Not included

  No tax election is made on the owners’ behalf, and no bookkeeping or accounting work is done here.

  Timing

  Two to three weeks from the instructions being taken.

• 06

  Outside general counsel

  from $1,500 a month

  For growing companies of 5 to 100 employees that need seasoned legal oversight without the cost of a full-time in-house attorney. A monthly advisory retainer brings priority turnaround on customer and vendor contracts, employment and contractor agreements, risk audits and strategic counsel whenever an operational question comes up.

  Best for a local business whose legal questions arrive every month, not once a year.

  Included

  • Priority redlines of customer and vendor contracts
  • Employment policy and contractor agreement review
  • Board governance and vendor dispute counsel

  Not included

  Litigation is outside the retainer and is engaged separately, under its own letter.

  Timing

  Rolling month to month, under one engagement letter.