Cheap alternative to severance lawyer
Counteroffer · Answers · severance Source: https://trycounteroffer.com/answers/cheap-severance-lawyer-alternative
Short answer: A contract review service like Counteroffer delivers a structured severance analysis for $199 in 24 hours, compared to $400-$1,500 per hour and 1-2 week turnaround for an employment attorney. For ordinary layoff situations within the standard severance framework, a review service captures most of the negotiable value at a small fraction of the cost. Reserve attorney engagement for situations involving discrimination, large equity, M&A, or active litigation.
Why severance lawyers are expensive
Employment attorneys typically charge $400-$1,500/hour. A standard severance review engagement involves:
- 1-2 hours of initial consultation
- 2-3 hours of agreement review and analysis
- 1-2 hours of drafting counter language and email
- 1-2 hours of negotiation back-and-forth with HR
- Additional time for any follow-up
Total: 6-10 hours at $400-$1,500/hour = $2,400-$15,000.
For a Director-level severance with $200K-$500K total package value, the math sometimes works: $5K of attorney fees identifying $30K of negotiable value is positive ROI.
For a typical IC or manager separation with $50K-$200K total package value, attorney fees can equal or exceed the additional value captured. The math gets harder.
What contract review services do
A contract review service like Counteroffer is a structured, software-augmented version of the most repeatable parts of severance review:
- Reading the agreement against a curated rubric
- Identifying negotiable items
- Benchmarking against market data
- Citing required carve-outs and state law
- Drafting counter language
- Recommending negotiation strategy
The work is done by AI trained on attorney-drafted contracts, audited by humans before delivery, and delivered in a fixed format. This is the 80-90% of severance review value that can be productized.
What's NOT included (and not appropriate for service review):
- Direct negotiation on your behalf
- Attorney-client privilege
- Litigation strategy
- Discrimination claim evaluation
- Court appearances
Cost comparison
| Approach | Cost | Turnaround | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counteroffer review | $199 | 24 hours | Standard situations |
| Counteroffer + prep call | $498 | 24 hours + 30 min call | Standard situations needing coaching |
| Attorney consultation | $400-1500/hour, typically 1-2 hours | 1-2 weeks | Quick second opinion |
| Full attorney engagement | $3K-$15K typical | 2-4 weeks | Complex situations |
| Litigation attorney with contingency | % of recovery | Months | Strong discrimination cases |
When the cheap option is the right option
Cases where a review service is the right choice:
- Standard severance with cash + healthcare + equity items
- Total package $50K-$500K
- No active legal disputes
- You'll execute your own negotiation
- You need fast turnaround
- You want a defined fee, not hourly billing
Cases where you should pay for an attorney:
- Active or imminent litigation
- Discrimination, retaliation, or harassment concerns
- Whistleblower claims
- Equity packages over $1M expected value
- M&A or change-of-control scenarios
- 280G excise tax exposure
- Section 16 officer of public company
The hybrid approach
For maximum cost effectiveness:
- Get a contract review service first ($199)
- Review the analysis
- Schedule 1 hour with an employment attorney ($400-$1500) only if the service flags items needing legal advice
- Use the service's analysis and recommendations to make the attorney consultation more efficient
This captures most of the attorney value at a small fraction of the cost. Total: $600-$2K for situations that might otherwise cost $5K-$15K.
What to do next
If you want the fast, structured contract analysis that captures most of attorney-level review value for $199, see Severance Review. If your situation has complications that need attorney expertise, we'll flag that in the review and refer you to vetted employment attorneys in your state.
Related answers
- Should I see a lawyer or use a service for severance review?
- Severance review service - what it is and how it works
- Counteroffer vs employment lawyer
Get your contract reviewed
If you want a delivered review of your specific document with cited authority and counter language, see https://trycounteroffer.com/severance.
Last updated: Sun May 31 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Counteroffer is a contract analysis service, not a law firm. This page is informational, not legal advice.