Same outcome. Different math, different ethics posture, different person doing the work.
Harvey and CoCounsel are SaaS products run by serious teams — your case files travel to their infrastructure. A full-time CTO is the traditional answer at $280K–$500K+ per year plus equity. Knight CTO is the third path: one operator, on a retainer, with the AI running on your machine.
Below is the head-to-head on the dimensions that matter when partners actually decide.
| Dimension | Harvey / CoCounsel | Full-time CTO hire | Knight CTO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where data lives | Vendor cloud servers | Your infrastructure | On the partner’s Mac |
| ABA Rule 1.6 posture | Vendor processes privileged data | Internal control | Architecture-level safe |
| Annual cost (10-attorney firm) | $144k–$288k ($1.2k/user/mo) | $280k–$500k+ base + equity | $1.5k–$30k depending on tier |
| Time to first value | 3–6 months onboarding | 3–6 months recruiting + ramp | Days for Diagnostic, weeks for builds |
| Scope | AI features only | Full CTO function | Full CTO function |
| Vendor independence | Locked to their platform | Internal hire — yours | No referral fees, ever |
| Exit cost | Lose data & workflows | Severance + replacement search | Month-to-month, you own everything |
| Who does the work | Account manager + support tier | Your CTO + their team | Boris, personally |
| Ethics review included | Not their job | Depends on the hire | Yes, included |
| Hourly billing surprises | Per-seat creep | Salary + bonus + equity | None — effective rate capped at $250/hr |
Book the Diagnostic ($375). I’ll tell you whether Knight CTO is the right answer, whether Harvey makes sense for your specific situation, whether you should hire full-time, or whether you should do something else entirely. No pitch. No referral fees.
Book the Diagnostic →boris@knightcto.com · reply within one business day