DECLERCQ· PRACTICE / P-04 — GENERAL COUNSEL 2,000+ MATTERS CLOSED $350M TRANSACTION VOLUME ADMITTED NJ · NY · PA
Practice — P-04

General counsel.

Standing counsel for operating businesses: contract review at volume and playbook-driven negotiation.

View through architectural arches
Fig. 01 — The arched corridor
/ 01

The work.

What P-04 covers
GC-01

Commercial agreements

Master Services Agreements, Statements of Work, vendor and independent-contractor agreements: drafted, negotiated, and redlined.

GC-02

Indemnification & liability

Particular focus on indemnification, limitation of liability, and the allocation of legal and financial risk.

GC-03

Opinions on risk management

Written opinions and practical, business-aligned guidance on managing legal and financial risk.

GC-04

Standing counsel

Entities formed and maintained; contracts handled on a standing basis; counsel familiar with the business.

Standing counsel, past and present, to design studios, specialty contractors and builders, high-net-worth individuals, and smaller operating businesses, including the many LLCs and entities the firm has formed. When a fraud claim falls outside a client's E&O coverage, the firm takes the engagement.

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The process.

Five steps
01

Standing intake

Contracts come in on a standing basis.

02

Review & redline

Turned around in quoted time, with a dedicated paralegal tracking every file.

03

Escalate what matters

Most issues resolved within the playbook; the rest escalated with options.

04

Close the loop

Execution-ready documents and a complete record.

05

The quarterly view

Patterns across your contracts, reported quarterly.

10+
Years negotiating commercial agreements
2
Business days — typical reply time
5.0
Client rating, 175+ reviews
/ 03

The fee.

Hourly · retainer · in writing
$395–525+ / HR
Standing counsel from $395/hr by matter type. Quoted in writing, first
  • Retainer paid at engagement, held in trust, applied against the work
  • Detailed monthly statements: you see where every hour went
  • Written fee agreement before any work begins
  • Replenished only if the matter requires it

Retainer amount quoted per matter; final rates confirmed in the written fee agreement after a brief consultation.

/ 04

Related matters.

From the case index
White minimalist facade, geometric lines
Fig. 02 — Facade at sunset

Need standing counsel?

Emily K. Declercq
Your counsel for this work
Emily K. Declercq, JD·MBA
Admitted NJ · NY · PA · A dedicated paralegal on every matter