At True North North Legal Group, we recognize the cost involved in hiring a private attorney to help with your legal issue. Like most things these days, lawyers are expensive. But the thing that drives us crazy about lawyers is how often they send surprise bills to clients. Not us. We believe in straightforward, honest, and clear billing that ensures you understand exactly what you’re getting when you pay for our services. Our “value-first, single fee” billing process is designed to help you get the legal representation you need at a cost that makes sense.
 

Value-First, Single Fee

Traditionally, law firms have billed their clients “by the hour.” If your lawyer spent two hours going to court with you, you’d get a bill for twice that lawyer’s hourly fee. So, 2.0 x $200/hour = $400 bill. If your lawyer spent six-and-a-half hours preparing and filing a legal document in your case, your bill would say “6.5 x $200/hour = $1300.” And if your lawyer spent 18 minutes writing and sending an email, it’d be 0.3 (three-tenths of an hour) x $200/hour = $60 bill. $60 for an email!

At True North Legal Group, we do things differently. We believe in “value-first” billing. When you first call True North Legal Group, we will get an understanding of your case, what work will go into achieving your goals, and what value we believe we can provide in your legal representation. We will then discuss with you a single fee for us to represent you in that case. We’ll ask for a smaller “retainer” payment up front to get started. And then we’ll bill you a single fee that you must pay in agreed-upon increments over time.

This value-first, single fee billing structure gives you control over your legal situation. You know exactly how much you’ll have to pay and exactly when those payments will be due. You won’t be billed for an 18-minute email or a 45-minute phone call. You won’t be surprised by how long it may take us to write a legal document. You won’t get a random and shocking bill in the mail for immediate payment. Rather than feeling like you are handing over a blank check, you’ll know exactly how to budget for your legal fees.

As a community-centered legal practice, we want to deliver world-class legal services to as many people as we can. With value-first, single-fee billing, we can do exactly that – deliver value to our community without “nickel and diming” you along the way.

Subscription Services

For growing small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Northern Michigan, True North Legal Group also offers a subscription-based fee model tailored for your needs. This model provides clients with ongoing legal services at a predictable, flat monthly rate, eliminating the uncertainty of hourly billing. Depending on the size, revenue, and specific legal needs of the organization, True North Legal Group offers three distinct pricing tiers. For instance, our "Startup Guide" model supports clients from the initial idea phase through to launch, ensuring comprehensive legal guidance during critical early stages. 

Central to this subscription model is our promise of unlimited attorney consultations, which allows True North Legal Group as a “Fractional General Counsel” service. This approach allows True North Legal Group to serve as part-time, in-house legal counsel for organizations that may not have the resources to hire a full-time attorney. By offering services such as unlimited attorney consultations on small business issues, quarterly legal checkups, and unlimited reviews of essential documents like contracts and operating agreements, clients receive the benefits of experienced legal counsel without the associated full-time costs. 

TNLG’s subscription-based pricing model provides several advantages, including cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and access to specialized legal expertise. Clients can scale the level of legal support based on their evolving needs, ensuring they receive appropriate guidance as their organization grows. This proactive legal partnership helps mitigate risks and supports informed decision-making, contributing to the long-term success of small businesses and nonprofits in the region.

Discounts

We also understand the difficulty that individuals and families may have paying for a private attorney. However, one of the reasons we started True North Legal Group was to contribute to our community and bring compassion to the justice system. Therefore, we have two discount programs for qualified candidates:

• Our income-based pricing program allows us to assist clients who may be of modest financial means but who do not qualify for a court-appointed attorney (or who do not trust a court-appointed attorney to handle their case). Under this pricing program, if your annual family income is below a certain amount, we provide a discount of 10-30%.
• Our veteran discount allows us to represent former military members at a discounted rate of 10-30%, depending on service characterization and disability rating (if any).

Legal Coaching

Finally, for clients who do not want to pay for complete legal services but still want some legal assistance for their case, we offer “legal coaching” at a reduced rate. This service is most appropriate for simple legal documents, hearings, or mediations that clients want to handle on their own. Through our legal coaching program, you can book our time at a reduced hourly rate (for example, a two-hour coaching call may be $350). We will use that time to review and edit documents you have drafted and discuss strategies to present your case. Please note that, if you opt for our legal coaching program, the attorneys of True North Legal Group cannot go to court with you. This program involves representation on a limited scope and will not allow our attorneys to represent you in court or before a mediation or arbitration. However, this is a great option for individuals who need some legal help but do not want to pay a complete legal fee.