Fees & Services
This page contains information about services offered and fees, including our Mini‑Retainer programs; Quick Consults™; full-service legal; flat fee arrangements; in‑person consultations; and production legal services.
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Standard Fees for Services rate chart.
For a custom quote on services, please use the Prospective Client Inquiry form on the Contact page. Mr. Cooper will respond via phone or email.
Free Initial Telephone Call
There is no charge for your first 10-15 minute phone call with Mr. Cooper to discuss your business and legal needs. Please understand, however, that he cannot give legal advice to non-clients, so you should not expect to receive legal advice during this initial call. The purpose of this first conversation is to provide you with information about how an attorney can help you, evaluate the scope of work required, and give you an estimate of cost.
If you want legal advice, or need more than 15 minutes, telephone Quick Consults may be available (subject to a conflicts check) at a rate of $75 per half-hour, paid in advance via PayPal.
Services Offered
Production Legal
- Script Acquisition Agreements
- Financing Agreements
- Prospectuses & Private Placement Memoranda
- Script Review for Potential Legal Issues
- Talent and Crew Agreements
- Equipment & Locations Agreements
- Composer Agreements
- Prepare Music Licenses
- Review Rough Cut for Legal Issues
- Prepare Credits and Publicity Abstracts
- Assist with Insurance Applications
- Negotiate Distribution Agreements
- Negotiate Delivery Requirements
Production Consulting
- Mentoring During the Production Process
- Script Analysis & Guidance for Writers
- Advice on Assembling Production Team
- Negotiation Guidance & Strategy
Business Legal
- Copyright and Trademark Registration
- Business Entity Formation
- Preparation of Business Plans
- Private Placement Memoranda
- Contract review and drafting
- Negotiation
Internet Legal
- Copyright & DMCA Issues
- Domain Name & Trademark Issues
- Website Policy Statements
- Licensing & Collaborative Arrangements
- Website Design Agreements
Mediation
- Mediator for Real Estate or Entertainment-related Disputes
- Mediations at your location (within Los Angeles County only)
Fees
Full-Service Legal Fees
Full-service legal may be the ideal option for individuals or businesses who have projects in active development, have an ongoing need for legal services and business advice, or where the scope of work can not be readily determined in advance.
Keith E. Cooper offers the total assurance of traditional full-service arrangements to clients who want an attorney to handle their transactions from start to finish. This includes strategizing possible courses of action, doing legal research, negotiating deals, drafting docouments, phone consultations, e‑mails, in‑person meetings, and following up with third parties.
Full service clients are billed at negotiated hourly rates, with a fee agreement and deposit required before work begins. The amount of the retainer depends upon the initial scope of work.
Pre-Paid Flat Fees
Mr. Cooper offers affordable flat rates for certain pre‑paid services, such as business formation; trademark registration; copyright registration; and the Mini‑Retainer programs described elsewhere on this page.
For a complete description of flat‑fee services, please review the current Fees for Pre‑Paid Services rate sheet.
In-Person Consultations
If you would like to meet with Mr. Cooper in person, the charge for the initial consultation is a flat fee of $250 for one hour, payable in advance. During that time, Mr. Cooper can discuss your project or other matter in detail, review documents, assess the types of issues that may arise in your project, give you legal advice and, if additional work is required, give you an estimate of its cost.
Sometimes, this single meeting is all that is required to resolve a legal issue or set a course of action. There is no further obligation after the initial meeting unless you enter into a fee agreement with Mr. Cooper.
In-person consultations after the first are available at a pre-paid rate of $125 per half-hour, with a one-hour minimum per meeting. For existing clients who prefer to be billed in arrears, the contractual hourly rate applies.
Please call for an appointment for an in-person meeting. Appointments are not available through this website.
Production Legal Fees
Keith E. Cooper, Esq. offers affordable rates for comprehensive legal services for motion picture or television projects (see the above "Services" heading for a listing of typical services included). Mr. Cooper draws on his years of experience to fit the scope of services to the production's requirements, so that unnecessary expense is avoided. A customized flat fee is quoted in advance, based upon a review of the production budget, script, and other information. Generally, the full fee is payable before work begins.
Production Consulting Fees
Compensation for production consulting services is negotiable based upon the production’s requirements, but generally includes a fixed or hourly fee, a profit participation, and some form of producer credit. If Mr. Cooper provides consulting services in addition to legal services, consulting fees are calculated separately from fees for legal services on the same production, and may require a separate agreement.
DVD Seminar on Law for Filmmakers
Mr. Cooper created the video/book DVD series, "What Every Filmmaker Needs to Know About the Law," distributed by Cekent Concepts, Inc. The DVD series is an affordable way for filmmakers to get their general legal questions answered without the high cost of paying an attorney's hourly rate. The current four volumes in the series are: Setting Up Your Company, Rights, Negotiation, and Contracts. Each volume includes a video lecture/slide presentation with a companion book on the same disk.
Mr. Cooper's clients are eligible to purchase this set from Cekent Concepts at the special discounted price of $200 (half of the current market price). For comprehensive production legal services clients, the set is included in the flat rate quoted, and clients are encouraged to view it early so that the most common questions are answered quickly, conveniently and completely.
Please note that the Law Office of Keith E. Cooper, Esq. is engaged only in providing legal services and does not sell the DVDs.
Deferred or Contingent Fees
Mr. Cooper offers a la carte flat fee services and mini-retainer programs (described elsewhere on this page) as a way of making his services affordable to independent filmmakers and small businesses.
Generally, Mr. Cooper does not provide legal services on a contingent fee or deferred basis.
"Contingent" means that compensation is calculated as a percentage of money received from a transaction. "Deferred" means that payment is made at some point in the future, usually when a client receives money from others. Mr. Cooper's fees are due and payable at the time services are rendered.
In exceptional circumstances where a filmmaker or writer is not able to afford our standard legal fees, but has already received an offer from a reputable source for their high-potential film or television project, Mr. Cooper may agree to a deferred or contingent fee arrangement, subject to certain restrictions.
PLEASE NOTE, however, that alternate payment arrangements may be offered only after Mr. Cooper has reviewed all the elements of your project (such as script, budget, people involved, marketing plan, and any financing or distribution arrangements). Also be aware that, with such arrangements, Mr. Cooper requires that he be authorized to receive all payments from money sources in trust for you, deduct the amount owed him, and remit the remaining balance to you, until he is paid in full.
Mediation Fees
Mr. Cooper's fee for serving as a mediator is $350 per hour, with a three-hour minimum per session, due when the mediation is scheduled, and all parties must agree to attend. In addition, there is an initial case management fee of $250 per case mediated (not per session) to cover the administrative costs of convening the mediation, reviewing documents, and other preparation. The total due in advance is $1,300 (the mediation time is not confirmed until payment is received). The parties to the dispute typically share the costs of mediation equally (i.e., if there are 2 sides to the dispute, each would pay a deposit of $650), but the parties may specify otherwise. If the mediation is canceled in advance, the deposit is fully refundable, except for the case management fee.
Generally, the parties are expected to provide a quiet, private room with no distractions (such as a conference room) for the mediation to take place. The cost of travel to your location in Los Angeles County is included. If it is necessary for us to arrange a space for the mediation, the cost of the room would be in addition to the costs specified above and any room deposits would be the responsibility of the parties.