Corporate retainer
A bank of hours for the business, not just the file.
For companies that need a lawyer available without opening a new engagement every time a contract, a hire or a decision appears. You buy hours in advance and use them when the business needs them.
How it works
The retainer is a prepaid block of hours. You decide the size of the first block, we issue the terms in writing, and the hours are available from the day the payment clears.
Each matter is billed per hour actually used, at US$250 per hour. We keep a simple ledger: date, matter, time spent and who worked on it. You receive it monthly, or with each invoice if you prefer.
Two conditions that clients ask about: the hours are non-refundable, and they do not expire. That combination is what makes the rate work: the firm reserves capacity, the client keeps the time for when it is needed.
When the block runs low we tell you before it hits zero, with a short note of what was used and what is pending, so the decision to top up is yours and not a surprise.
US$250
per hour, billed as used
No expiry
the hours wait for you
Non-refundable
reserved capacity
Monthly ledger
date, matter, time
What it covers
The work that does not fit in a single file.
If a matter needs a separate scope and a fixed price, we say so before using the hours.
Corporate
Shareholder decisions, corporate records, bylaws, shareholder agreements and restructuring.
Labour
Employment contracts, terminations, internal policies, social security questions and inspections.
Contracts
Drafting, reviewing and negotiating service agreements, leases, supplier contracts and NDAs.
Planning
Structuring a new line of business, a partner entering or leaving, or a cross-border arrangement.
Meetings
Calls with your accountant, your bank, the municipality or the counterparty, with us in the room.
Negotiation
Support in commercial conversations where the legal position has to be clear before you speak.
What it does not cover
- Litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings with their own calendar and fees.
- Notarial protocolisation, which is charged per act.
- Government fees, translations, apostilles and third-party costs.
- Matters outside Costa Rican law.
How to start
- 1A short call to understand the business and the volume of legal work.
- 2We send the retainer terms and the proposed block of hours.
- 3You pay; the ledger opens and the hours are available.
Terms in writing before the first hour is used.