Most U.S. business attorneys charge between $200 and $500 per hour. The national median is roughly $325 per hour in 2026. Flat-fee work (forming an LLC, reviewing a single contract, drafting a basic NDA) typically runs $300 to $1,500. Ongoing retainers for small businesses range from $500 to $2,500 per month.
Those are the headline numbers. The honest story is more useful: what you actually pay depends on three things. Where you live. What you are asking for. And whether you need a generalist or a specialist.
What drives the price up
Three factors do most of the work.
Geography. A business attorney in Manhattan or San Francisco bills $500 to $900 per hour. The same work in a mid-sized Midwestern city runs $200 to $350. Rural and small-market attorneys can be under $200. If your matter does not require a specific jurisdiction, this is a real lever.
Specialty. A general practitioner who handles LLC formations alongside divorce and traffic tickets charges less than a specialist in M&A, securities, or intellectual property. For routine work, a generalist is fine. For anything that touches investors, regulators, or patents, you want a specialist, and you pay specialist rates.
Firm size. A solo attorney or small firm typically charges less than a mid-size firm, which charges less than a Big Law firm. The work product on routine matters is often comparable. Big Law is right when the matter involves complex litigation, large transactions, or specialized expertise that small firms cannot match.
Typical flat fees for small business work
Most routine business work is now flat-fee priced. Here is what to expect in 2026:
- LLC formation (single member): $300 to $800, plus state filing fees
- LLC formation (multi-member, with operating agreement): $800 to $2,000
- Standard NDA drafted from scratch: $300 to $600
- NDA reviewed and redlined: $200 to $500
- Independent contractor agreement: $400 to $900
- Employment agreement: $500 to $1,500
- Trademark application (single class): $750 to $1,500, plus USPTO fees
- Privacy policy + terms of service for a small website: $500 to $1,500
- Buying or selling a small business (asset purchase): $3,000 to $15,000
Flat fees are generally a better deal than hourly billing for predictable work, because you know the cost upfront and the attorney absorbs the risk of complexity.
What hourly work looks like
Some matters cannot be flat-fee priced because the work is reactive. Litigation, regulatory inquiries, and negotiations against an opposing party fall here. Expect hourly billing in the $200 to $500 range, plus a retainer (an upfront deposit, typically $2,500 to $25,000 depending on the matter) that gets drawn down as work happens.
Ask three questions before you sign an engagement letter for hourly work:
- What is your hourly rate, and the rate for any associates or paralegals who will work on this?
- What is your good-faith estimate of total cost?
- Will you give me a monthly cap or notify me before the retainer is exhausted?
A good attorney will answer all three without flinching.
What a monthly retainer covers
Some small businesses keep an attorney on a monthly retainer of $500 to $2,500. The retainer typically covers a defined bucket of work each month: contract reviews, employment questions, vendor agreements, general advice. Anything beyond that bucket (litigation, transactions) is billed separately.
A retainer makes sense if you contact a lawyer more than once a quarter. If you call your attorney twice a year, you are better off paying as you go.
When you do not need a lawyer at all
Plenty of business legal work can be handled without an attorney. Routine LLC formation, simple NDAs, standard independent contractor agreements, and basic privacy policies are all well-served by templates. The key word is "routine." If your situation has any of the following, you want a lawyer:
- You are taking on investors or issuing equity
- You are in a regulated industry (finance, healthcare, alcohol, cannabis)
- You are buying or selling a business
- You are facing a lawsuit, demand letter, or regulatory inquiry
- You are exporting goods or operating in multiple countries
- The amount of money at stake exceeds about $10,000
For everything else, LawSensai's document generator produces state-specific paperwork that, for most routine matters, is functionally identical to what a generalist attorney would produce, at a fraction of the cost.
How to actually pay less
Three practical levers:
- Bundle your work. Most business attorneys give a meaningful discount when you bring them three matters at once instead of one. If you know you need an LLC, a contract, and a privacy policy, ask for a package.
- Do the prep yourself. Show up with a clear summary of the situation, all relevant documents, and a list of specific questions. An hour of your preparation can save two hours of attorney time.
- Use a fixed-fee engagement when possible. Even matters that are typically hourly (a simple negotiation, a single deposition) can sometimes be priced as a fixed fee. Ask.
The bottom line
Plan for $300 to $1,500 for most one-off matters. Plan for $200 to $500 per hour if the work is reactive. Plan for $500 to $2,500 per month if you keep a lawyer on retainer. And know that for routine paperwork, you may not need a lawyer at all.
If you are not sure what category your situation falls into, our match engine can route you to an attorney who handles your specific issue, with transparent fee disclosure upfront.