How it works
Five steps. Written terms.
We agree the question, the work, and the fee before starting. You know who does the work and what you will receive.
- 01
Start with the decision.
Tell me the problem, the deadline, and who needs to decide. Start with an Advisory Hour at $500/hour, or request a proposal if you already know the scope. For an active incident, use the urgent contact route.
I offer a mutual nondisclosure agreement, or NDA, before you share sensitive details. A web inquiry does not start an engagement or create legal privilege; send no patient data, passwords, or evidence through the form.
- 02
Agree the work and the fee.
I confirm fit, conflicts, availability, and the decision the work must support. We sign a master services agreement, or MSA, for the general terms and a statement of work, or SOW, for your engagement.
The scope lists targets, authority, deliverables, dates, fees, payment timing, acceptance criteria, exclusions, and approved expenses. Flat fees stay flat within that scope; the Advisory Hour uses its hourly rate, incident work includes the stated 50-hour boundary, and a retainer uses its agreed monthly capacity. We sign any change before it adds work or fees.
- 03
Set permissions and protect the information.
We name the people who can approve work and agree how to exchange and store information. I ask for only the access and data the work needs.
We record evidence-handling steps, approved tools, access controls, incident contacts, and retention dates. For work involving protected patient information, we put the necessary business associate agreement and approved handling arrangements in place before access. I do not upload client material to public AI services without written authorization.
- 04
Do the work and show the evidence.
I perform the work myself and report what I find, what I cannot establish, and what needs a decision. I keep you informed when evidence, scope, or priorities change.
You receive the deliverables named in the scope, with the supporting facts, assumptions, confidence judgments, alternative explanations where relevant, and limits. You choose the business decision; counsel controls legal advice and legal strategy.
- 05
Hand over the result and close the matter.
You own the work product created for your engagement. I deliver the agreed files, explain the findings, and return or destroy your data on the written schedule.
The agreement distinguishes your work product from my pre-existing tools and third-party material and provides the rights you need to use the deliverable. It records any legally required retention, evidence hold, and backup-deletion timing. If we disagree, we first review the issue and supporting record, document the requested remedy, and use the escalation and resolution process in our signed agreement; that agreement sets the governing law and forum.
A place to start
One hour. One decision.
Work through your problem before committing to a larger engagement.