Flat fee and retainer legal services for small and mid-size businesses.
Small and mid-size businesses need real legal work. What they don't need is the billable hour, the trust account retainer that drains faster than anyone expected, or the invoice that arrives three weeks after a five-minute phone call.
Understory Advising PLLC, located in Tacoma, WA, offers legal services on a different model. Flat fees for defined projects. Monthly retainers for ongoing counsel. Known cost before the work begins. Defined scope in writing. No clock to watch.
The firm is led by a former in-house General Counsel with experience across commercial contracts, employment and HR, regulatory compliance, and operational risk. The work is steady, practical, and grounded in what actually matters to the business. When everything feels urgent, the goal is to see more clearly.
Understory Advising is an approved provider for Washington State's Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), which allows eligible unemployment claimants to collect benefits while enrolled in an approved entrepreneurship program. The program is one-on-one with a licensed business attorney, not a class or a coach, which means your sessions can cover the curriculum and your actual questions at the same time. Most SEAP programs give you a curriculum. This one gives you answers.
See our full listing of Services here.
Not sure where you'd fit? Start with a free 30-minute prospective client call.
How we work:
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Ongoing legal counsel on a flat monthly fee. Four tiers from Seedling through Scale, each with a monthly advisory call and a menu of services selected at signup. Retainer clients also receive a discount on flat fee project work.
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Defined scope, known cost, no retainer required. Flat fee projects cover the full range of the firm's practice areas, including contracts and commercial work, employment and HR, regulatory and compliance, governance and structure, and operations and risk. Pricing is set after a brief scoping conversation. Retainer clients receive a discount on all flat fee project work.
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Simple contract reviews delivered by email. Complex reviews with redlines and a negotiation memo. Contract drafting for NDAs, independent contractor agreements, MSAs, and vendor agreements. Contract counseling sessions for clients who want to talk a contract through in real time rather than read a written review.
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Employee handbooks, offer letter and employment agreement packages, independent contractor agreements, severance agreements, and standalone policy drafting. Hiring process audits and job description compliance reviews for businesses growing their teams.
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A 60-minute session on any business legal topic. Available as a single session, a three-session pack, or a recurring monthly hour. No retainer required. Often the first step before a longer engagement.
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Half-day workshops for founders and leadership teams. Field Notes covers operational legal risk. Groundwork covers business law fundamentals. Custom team training and public speaking available on request.
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Understory Advising is an approved provider for Washington State's Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), which allows eligible unemployment claimants to collect benefits while enrolled in an approved entrepreneurship program. If you received a letter from ESD about SEAP, or want to learn more about the program, visit the SEAP program page.
