Plan B Business
Professional Services

Stop competing on hourly rate.
Start commanding niche expertise.

We work with boutique law firms (1-15 attorneys) doing $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue who are tired of the hourly billing race to the bottom. Our monthly engagement, no minimum term works toward niche-defined positioning, fixed-fee dominance, and predictable retainer revenue. How fast it moves depends on how seriously you work the plan - what you will see from the first meeting is exactly what is holding the business back.

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Industry Reality

7 patterns we see in most boutique law firms

85%
how often we see it

Hourly billing trap - revenue tied to attorney time

Root cause: Generalist firm with no defined niche. Every client compares hourly rates against 50 other firms.

What we do: Niche definition + 3-tier fixed-fee productized service offerings. Position yourself as 'the' boutique for a specific industry or matter type.

75%
how often we see it

Low average matter value ($5K-$8K)

Root cause: Firm takes any work that walks in. Mix of high-margin niche work and low-margin general matters.

What we do: Drop the bottom 20% of practice areas. Focus on 1-2 niches where you can command $15K-$50K matter values. Refer the rest out for referral fees.

70%
how often we see it

Pricing hasn't increased since 2019

Root cause: Partner-attorney fear of losing clients. No data on market rates.

What we do: Annual rate increase of 5-8% baked into engagement letters. Justified through quantified ROI on matters.

65%
how often we see it

Cash flow tied to 60-90 day collections

Root cause: Hourly billing means invoicing monthly. Clients pay 30-60 days late. Cash crunch every quarter-end.

What we do: Fixed-fee structures with 50% upfront / 50% on completion. Retainer engagements with monthly draws. Net 30 max.

80%
how often we see it

No business development engine

Root cause: All new clients come from existing client referrals. No proactive BD strategy.

What we do: LinkedIn-based thought leadership (3 posts/week per partner). Referral partnerships with CPAs, financial advisors, and other professionals. Speaking engagement strategy.

60%
how often we see it

Junior associate retention crisis

Root cause: Below-market salaries, partnership track that takes 8-10 years, no equity or upside beyond salary.

What we do: Restructure compensation: market-rate base + origination bonuses + transparent equity path. Define 'Partner-track' vs 'Career associate' vs 'Of counsel' tracks.

75%
how often we see it

Practice management still in Word/Excel/email chains

Root cause: Lawyers resist software. Firm runs on email and matter folders.

What we do: Deploy a real practice-management system - not a shared drive and a folder convention. Time tracking, matter management, billing, document management in one system. Required, not optional.

Benchmarks

The numbers we aim at

These are the targets we work toward in an engagement - a bar to measure against, not an average anyone measured for you.

KPITypical starting pointPlan B target12-month goal
Average matter value$5K-$12K$25K-$75K$18K-$60K
% revenue from retainer engagements10-25%50%+35-55%
Partner billable hours (weekly)45-55<3028-40
Days sales outstanding (DSO)75-90<4540-60
Hourly billable rate (senior partner)$300-$450$700-$1,200$550-$1,000
Client referral rate (annual)1.23.5+2.4-4.0
Junior associate retention (3-year)35%75%+60-80%
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Practice area + financial audit

    We map every practice area's contribution margin, every attorney's utilization rate, and your DSO. We identify the 1-2 niches with the highest defensible margins.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: Niche positioning + productized services

    We define your 1-2 niches in detail (sub-industries, deal types, geographic focus). We build 3 productized service offerings with fixed fees. We rewrite your engagement letters and intake process.

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: BD engine + retainer push

    LinkedIn content cadence launches for 2-3 partners. We launch referral partnerships with 5-8 professionals. We convert your top 10 existing clients to annual retainers.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: Operations + leverage

    Practice management software fully deployed. Junior associate retention program in place. Partner billable hours drop. Average matter value 2-3x. We shift to quarterly cadence.

Common questions from boutique law firms owners

What size firm is this for?−
Sweet spot: $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue with 1-15 attorneys - the same band our Hebrew site states in shekels. Below it there are three ways in, not none: the academy at $33/month, the $365 paid diagnostic and B-Start at $365/month - plus business-plan work for an owner who has not opened yet. Above it you usually need a full-time COO or director of operations in-house rather than an outside partner. It is a guide, not a gate - ask and we will tell you straight.
What practice areas do you work with?+
Any practice area where 'niche specialization' creates pricing power: business law, IP, immigration, family law (high-net-worth), criminal defense (white collar), employment law, real estate (commercial), tax. We do not work with personal injury (different economics) or class action firms.
We're a generalist firm. Can we really niche down?+
Yes, but it takes 12-18 months. Most firms can identify 1-2 practice areas where they already do 30%+ of revenue. We help you double down on those, productize them, and quietly de-emphasize the rest over time. You don't 'kill' practice areas - you just stop marketing them and stop accepting new matters.
What about ethics rules and bar restrictions on advertising/pricing?+
We respect every state bar's advertising rules. Our model is built on demonstrating expertise through content, not on aggressive advertising claims. Fixed-fee structures and value-based pricing are explicitly permitted in every US state - they're the modern standard, not the exception.
Who does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker. The founders, not associates. You won't be handed off.
What's your fee structure?+
Situation Room: $365 one-time. B-Grow: $1,430/month (most engagements). B-Beyond: $2,750/month (multi-partner firms or fast-growth scenarios). No minimum term and no notice period - you can end it at any time.
Will you help with hiring, performance reviews, partnership decisions?+
Yes. We're a strategic operating partnership - hiring, compensation, partnership-track decisions, and firm governance are all in scope. We won't make decisions for you, but we will give you frameworks and outside perspective.
What if I'm a solo attorney?+
Solo practice engagements are typically 6 months and focused on positioning + productization. We help solos go from charging $300/hour to $1,500/hour for the same work by repositioning into a defensible niche.

Stop billing hours. Start commanding outcomes.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

Book My Free Strategy Call