McInnes Cooper, the Atlantic Canadian law firm, has announced its new Start-up and Retainer Packages with the goal of making legal services more accessible for innovation-driven startups in Atlantic Canada.

The firm said in a statement on Tuesday that its MC Start-up Package provides the essential legal services a business needs to get off the ground, from incorporation to one-on-one legal advice, in a way that fits a limited budget.

“We’ve had positive feedback on the ‘Transformation’ theme,” said partner and startup specialist Rob Cowan in the statement. “It enables us to say that we’ve been listening to startups, and now we’re changing the way we do things – very much a ‘startup mindset’ for a law firm.”

He added: “The new blue colour and tagline ‘Transforming with you’ shows our startup services as new and distinct from the ‘old’ McInnes Cooper offering.”

To get started, owners pay a modest up-front fee of $400, paying the balance of $4,600 only after the business is funded.

A second offering, the MC Retainer Package is designed for existing businesses in the startup sector that have day-to-day legal needs and are looking for increased fee certainty. Businesses pay a set monthly fee based solely on the level of service required. For smaller enterprises, retainer fees can be as low as $200 a month.

A McInnes Cooper lawyer will arrange quarterly check-in calls to ensure that clients are getting the right level of legal services and to help address issues early on. As business needs change, the MC Retainer Package offers the flexibility to revisit and adjust monthly fees as required.

“We’ve completely transformed the way we price for start-ups,” said Sandra Goodwin, the firm’s Managing Director of Client Development and Service.

So far, early adopters of the packages span the Atlantic Region.

Said Hugh Wright, CEO and Managing Partner of McInnes Cooper: “By supporting startups during the early stages, we hope to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship throughout Atlantic Canada.”

Disclosure: McInnes Cooper is a client of Entrevestor.