Melissa L. Purcell

My area of expertise is contracts related to business.  I have reviewed and drafted well over a thousand and my clients always walk away saying things like, "Wow, this was way more than I expected."  I work almost exclusively on a flat-fee basis for the review portion, and the drafting, which is a completely optional service that can be added on after the review, I provide an estimate which is the only price I ever charge, even on the occasions where it ends up taking much longer than expected due to unforeseen research needs.

I have a doctorate in law and an MBA (with a focus on strategy), and I absolutely love bringing legal services to individuals and small businesses at an affordable rate and with clear flat fees wherever possible.  My clients work real jobs and have real lives, so I tailor my work around them; I work evenings, nights, weekends, and in formats that make life easy.  Most of my work is done entirely digitally, which allows me to keep costs down and deliver at any time of day or night, and clients can connect with me via text, email, Skype, social media, or even phone or fax.

What exactly do I do with contracts?

I review all types of contracts, whether from an individual or a small business, for any type of agreement.  I have experience in:

• Customized service agreements,
• Web development services,
• publisher/author agreements,
• musician and production agreements,
• commercial, residential leases and vacation property rentals,
• Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs),
• Non-competes,
• Operating Agreements and Bylaws,
• photography business, both in protecting work and licensing/usage releases,
• websites (privacy policies, terms of use)
• software and distribution,
• independent contractors and consultants and their works for hire,
• tech services arrangements,
• protection from the theft of trade secrets (including business client lists), and
• releases of intellectual property,

among other things.  

How it works:

Contracts Review: For only $25 (for individuals) or $50 (for business contracts),I will review a contract (up to five pages in length - $99 for anything greater as the max fee, regardless of page length) from your side of the table and return it to you within a few days with my notes letting you know what I think and suggest based on your goals for the review.  You send me your document (in word, pdf, or other format - an editable format is preferred, but any type is acceptable) either via email or fax, and I return the reviewed, marked up version with notes.  These notes speak to whatever your goal is for the review - a general review (very common), or a specific review for a purpose (is my work protected from XYZ occurring, have I given away my intellectual property rights, etc).  In addition to those things, I leave comments about negotiation points, where you should push back, where your liabilities are, and any other red flags I see in the document.

Drafting: I can also do custom drafting, but this service I offer after a review of your existing document. Once a review is complete, I will do custom drafting, if desired, to restructure the document for $50/hour, with an up-front estimate on how many hours it will take.  Most are 1-2 hours, and you will never be billed above that estimate, no matter what.  With your reviewed document, I know what your goals are and what you need to have done to get your document in order, so this makes an estimate pretty accurate.

If I go over the estimate, I waive the excess, and if I'm under, I refund the overage.  The estimate you receive is the max you will pay, so there are never any hidden costs or charges.  I have performed these services for over a thousand documents and am very efficient at estimating the work involved, and I am very confident in my abilities and estimates.

Very important to my clients is that part of my strategy involves keeping costs down. I do whatever I can to work amicably with adversaries to keep costs down for everyone.  That means my negotiation tactics involve coming to the table with a win-win proposal and working to avoid the extremely costly litigation route.  This is the goal I keep in mind when drafting contracts and structuring agreements, as well.

I must reserve the right to refuse service for anyone for whom I am unable to provide competent value.  If your document involves something with which I am unfamiliar or inexperienced, I will immediately let you know that I can't help you and I will do my best to assist you in figuring out another option.

I do this work because I love it.  I am a young cancer survivor and without family or children, I spend my time working to help businesses have access to affordable and competent legal services, and I happen to be great with contracts and business.  My MBA specialization was in strategy, which works very well with figuring out your goal and how you will want to tailor your document for negotiation and how to use leverage the right way.  My clients enjoy my passion for this work and I enjoy dedicating myself to it to see them succeed.

I deliver quickly and can work with difficult scheduling needs.