EMBARK.LAW

Pricing

We appreciate EMBARK.LAW's transparent and fair pricing.
CadaBenedikt Förster, Founder & CEO, Cada Fertility AG (fertility treatments)
Wondering how we collaborate day to day? How we work

When you hire a lawyer, the first thing you usually want to know is if the issue can be solved. The question right after:

What does it cost?

Everyone's situation is different, so we can't give you a final bill before we've spoken. But we can give you transparency on our rates and flat-fee packages and on the billing rules we play by.

  • Free intro call

    We start with a free call (30 to 45 minutes) with no obligation. You leave the call knowing where you stand and what working with us would look like.

  • No billing for internal coordination

    Internal syncs and calls between us don't run on your timer. And if three of us are on a call with you, you pay for one.

  • Billing in minutes, not blocks

    We bill in real minutes, not in 6-minute or 15-minute blocks. A five-minute email costs you five minutes, not fifteen.

  • Efficient by design

    Because we focus on startup and VC law, we can handle recurring matters efficiently. Monthly invoices come with a category-level breakdown.

  • Pro bono for early-stage founders

    We regularly donate the first hours to early-stage founders so you get top-tier advice without draining early capital.

Flat-fee packages

Incorporation

Incorporation and essential startup contracts

CHF 2'500 (plus VAT) flat fee

Incorporation

CHF 1'500 (plus VAT) flat fee, or CHF 0 with a financing round

See what's included

Below, our fees for incorporating your startup as an "Aktiengesellschaft" (AG) with cash contribution and common shares. If you need an incorporation with different specifications (e.g. contribution in kind or preferred shares), please contact us for a quote.

Incorporation and essential startup contracts

CHF 2'500 (plus VAT) flat fee

  • Legal advice
  • Incorporation
  • Shareholders' agreement
  • Vesting agreement
  • IP assignments

Incorporation

CHF 1'500 (plus VAT) flat fee or CHF 0 in combination with a financing round

  • Legal advice
  • Incorporation
  • Shareholders' agreement
  • Vesting agreement
  • IP assignments

Packages do not include

  • Costs for notary, bank and commercial register
  • Tax, employment or similar questions that can come up in the context of the incorporation

Usually, we work based on our own templates. If we need to review and/or amend your own templates, additional fees may apply.

Incentives

Phantom Stock Plan (VSOP/PSOP)

CHF 3'000 (plus VAT) flat fee

Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

From CHF 3'500 (plus VAT)

See what's included

Below, our fees for VSOPs and ESOPs.

Phantom Stock Plan (VSOP/PSOP)

CHF 3'000 (plus VAT) flat fee

  • Legal and strategic advice on the choice and setup of the plan
  • Phantom stock plan, including up to two rounds of revisions
  • Two grant letters and template for future grants
  • Resolution of the board of directors

Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

From CHF 3'500 (plus VAT)

  • Legal and strategic advice on the choice and setup of the plan
  • Option pool set up (incl. amendment of the articles of association)
  • Stock ownership plan, including up to two rounds of revisions
  • Two grant letters and template for future grants

Packages do not include

  • Costs for notary and commercial register
  • Tax ruling
  • Clean-up work
  • Implementation of the plan

We're happy to help with these tasks too – please contact us for a quote. Usually, we work based on our own templates. If we need to review and/or amend your own templates, additional fees may apply.

Financing

Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA)

CHF 3'000 (plus VAT) flat fee

Equity financing round

From CHF 10'000 (plus VAT)

See what's included

Below, our fees for equity and convertible rounds.

Convertible round (CLA)

CHF 3'000 (plus VAT) flat fee

  • Legal and strategic advice
  • Convertible loan agreement, including up to two rounds of revisions / negotiations
  • Resolution of the board of directors
  • Shareholder waivers

Equity round

From CHF 10'000 (plus VAT)

  • Legal and strategic advice
  • Investment and shareholders' agreement
  • Negotiations with investors
  • Cap table and share register
  • Documents for capital increase
  • Coordination with notary and bank

Packages do not include

  • Costs for notary, bank and commercial register
  • Term sheet
  • Extended revisions or negotiations
  • Tax ruling
  • Due diligence work
  • Clean-up work
  • Employment-related matters
  • IP transfers

We're happy to help with these tasks too – please contact us for a quote. Usually, we work based on our own templates. If we need to review and/or amend your own templates, additional fees may apply.

Need something else on a fixed budget? If the scope is clearly definable, we are always happy to quote a flat fee for other projects too.

Ongoing legal support

Get your own legal team on stand-by, ready to take care of any legal matters for you. When you need it. As fast as you need it. Be it fundraising, employment, intellectual property, data protection or other legal challenges – we'll make sure the interests of your company are protected. Below are our fee models for ongoing legal services.

EMBARK.flex

On-tap legal support on a pay-as-you-go basis

  • Services billed by the hour.
  • Fees invoiced monthly for the services of the previous month.
Hourly rates

EMBARK.scale

On-tap legal support at a fixed rate

  • Monthly subscription with fixed fee.
  • Cancellation possible at any time, subscription terminates at the end of the month.

Custom monthly flat rate

Many thanks for the partnership over the last few years and for everything you've done for emonitor. EMBARK.LAW has played a significant role in getting us to where we are today.

eMonitorDaniel Baur, Co-founder & CEO, emonitor AG (PropTech)

Hourly rates

If we agree on payment by the hour, the rates below apply.

Startups and scaleups

CHF 400/h (plus VAT)

General rate

CHF 500/h (plus VAT)

All prices are additionally subject to value added tax (VAT). No per-email minimums or additional expenses for copies or similar.

What we don't bill

We charge for the work you asked for. That rules out a few things that commonly show up on legal invoices:

  • We don't bill internal calls or syncs within our team.
  • If several of us join your call, we bill only one person.
  • We don't round minutes up to 6-minute or 15-minute blocks.
  • No research surcharges for topics that are part of our day-to-day.
  • No cost for training juniors on your engagement.

Pro bono support for early-stage founders

Very early stage and on a tight budget? We regularly support early-stage startups with pro bono hours. We'd rather carry the first hours ourselves than price an early stage company out of the legal advice it actually needs. In exchange, we appreciate referrals to your founder network once we've proven ourselves.

Why our invoices stay lean

Two things keep our costs down: billing discipline and specialization.

Billing discipline

Our clients run tight ships and watch their burn, which puts internal pressure on us to stay efficient. You see that directly in the invoice.

Specialization

Specialization is our whole strength: we pioneered as one of the first Swiss law firms entirely dedicated to the startup ecosystem.

Big firms often have a specialized startup desk. It usually sits inside the M&A or corporate group and works well for these matters. But everything else like employment, tax or compliance gets routed to other departments that serve a broader client base.

Firms without a dedicated desk face a different challenge: when startup deals are less frequent, more time tends to go into getting up to speed.

At EMBARK.LAW, you get startup specialization across the board, not just at a single corporate desk. The person handling your matter works with startup agreements and market standards every week, which keeps drafting efficient without internal handoffs.

Ready for the next step?

Tell us about your plans. We'll get back to you as soon as possible with an initial assessment and suggested times for an intro call.

Email us