Who we help
Built for the businesses we know best.
Long leases, personal guarantees, supplier contracts and a constant stream of new hires. We review the paperwork that comes with running a kitchen, at fixed prices.
More for restaurantsWhy Sidebar Legal
Good legal help shouldn't be reserved for big companies.
1
Fixed prices, upfront
Every service has a set price you see before you start. Nothing is charged until your attorney returns the finished work.
2
A real lawyer, at AI speed
AI reads the document and prepares a first pass. A licensed attorney decides every change and answers for it.
3
Built for small business
Leases, vendor contracts, hiring and getting paid. The paperwork that runs a business, explained in plain English.
How it works
From upload to redlines, in four steps.
Tell us what you need
Describe it in your own words and attach the documents. A short intake asks the questions your attorney needs answered.
We check for conflicts
Before you share details, we confirm we can represent you. Everything you tell us is confidential from your first message.
Hold, don't charge
Accept the engagement letter and add a card. We place a hold for the fixed price. Nothing is charged yet.
Get your redlines
Your attorney returns tracked changes, a plain-English summary and a clean Word draft. The fee is collected then.
What you get back
See exactly what changed, and why.
Every change comes as a tracked edit with a note in plain English. Accept or decline each one, then download a clean Word draft to send back.
Lease · Guaranty
The owners of Tenant personally and unconditionally guarantee guarantee up to six months' rent of all obligations under this Lease.
Caps your personal exposure if the business closes.
Vendor agreement · Renewal
This Agreement renews automatically only by written agreement for successive one-year terms.
Stops a contract from rolling over without your say.
Services
The paperwork that runs your business.
Commercial leases
A lease is often the biggest promise a small business makes. We read the whole thing, mark up the terms that put you at risk, and explain what to ask the landlord for.
Learn more →
Vendor and customer contracts
Suppliers, software vendors and big customers send their own paper, written in their favor. We mark it up so the deal is fair to you, and tell you which points are worth pushing on.
Learn more →
Hiring and contractors
Your first hire or your fiftieth: offer letters, contractor agreements and policies that set expectations clearly and keep what your team creates with the business.
Learn more →
Getting paid
A clear, professional demand letter sets out what's owed, why, and what happens next. It's often the fastest and cheapest way to get paid without going to court.
Learn more →
Owners and partners
Most disputes between owners come from things nobody wrote down. We put decisions, money and exits in writing while everyone still agrees.
Learn more →
Something else?
Describe it. Your attorney confirms a fixed price before any work begins.
Describe what you need →Pricing
Simple, fixed prices.
No hourly billing and no retainer. You see the price first, and pay only when the work is done.
Simple contract review
$125
NDAs, letters of intent and short agreements up to 3 pages. Review and redlines.
StartStandard contract review
$250
Agreements of 3 to 25 pages. Redlines, a plain-English summary and one round of revisions.
StartFull negotiation
$500
Everything in a standard review, plus back-and-forth with the other side until it's signed.
StartFoundational document drafting
$1,000
A master services agreement, website terms or privacy policy, drafted from scratch.
StartMichael Orlowski
Founding attorney
- [Law school]
- Licensed in Missouri
- [Prior firm or role]
Your attorney
The same lawyer, start to finish.
[Short bio: practice background, the kinds of businesses you've advised, and why you started Sidebar Legal.]
[A sentence about how you work with clients.]
Questions
Frequently asked.
Is my lawyer an AI?
No. A licensed attorney reviews and signs off on every piece of work. We use AI to read documents and prepare a first pass faster, which is how we keep prices fixed and low. The judgment, and the responsibility, is the attorney's.
How does the price work?
Each service has a fixed price, shown before you start. When you submit, we place a hold on your card for that amount. Nothing is charged until your attorney returns the completed work. If we can't take your matter, the hold is released.
Is what I tell you confidential?
Yes, from your first message. We also check for conflicts of interest before you share details, so we know we can represent you.
How fast will I hear back?
Most reviews are returned within [X] business days. If you have a deadline, tell us when you start and your attorney will tell you whether it can be met.
Where do you practice?
Our attorney is licensed in Missouri. Some work, like reviewing a vendor contract, can often be done for businesses elsewhere; we'll tell you upfront if we can't help.
What if my matter doesn't fit a listed service?
Describe it anyway. Your attorney will confirm a fixed price before any work begins, or suggest an initial consultation.
Who owns the documents?
You do. You can download every document, with or without tracked changes, as a Word file.
Have a contract on your desk?
Tell us about it. You'll see the price before anything happens.