Diagnostic
// what you get
- One 90-minute working call with the Managing Partner (or whoever the firm designates)
- Pre-call survey to map the firm's tech inventory
- Written 10-page report delivered within 5 business days
- Prioritized capability map (which of the 8 capabilities should the firm address first)
- Three concrete next steps with cost ranges and timeline
- Vendor red-flag list specific to your current stack
// what it's NOT
- Not a sales pitch dressed as a diagnostic
- Not implementation work (different tier)
- Not a vendor recommendation report (no referral fees)
- Not a deliverable that requires a follow-on engagement to be useful
- Not a generic "AI strategy" deck
// who it's for
- Managing partners considering AI / tech investment but unsure where to start
- Firms that just received an unexpected security questionnaire from a client
- Firms with cyber insurance renewal coming up
Knight Legal AI Deployment
// what you get
- Local-first AI workstation installed on the partner's own machine
- Custom-trained on the firm's matter library (10,000+ documents typical)
- Citation-grade output with primary-source verification
- Audit log built in (every prompt, every output, exportable)
- Firm-branded interface and disclosure templates
- 1-hour partner training + 1-hour staff training
- Quarterly model and prompt refresh under the $600/mo support
- Direct text/call access to Boris for support escalations
// timeline
- Week 1: Discovery + matter inventory
- Week 2: Architecture + privacy design + ethics-counsel review
- Weeks 3–5: Build + index + custom prompt library
- Week 6: Deployment + training + handover
// who it's for
- Solo and small-firm partners (1–10 attorneys)
- Firms whose practice areas are highly document-heavy (family, estate, IP, immigration, litigation)
- Partners who want AI but cannot accept SaaS data-residency posture
Bespoke Build & Modernization
// what you get
- Two-week discovery and architecture sprint
- Six-to-twelve-week build with weekly demos to the partner sponsor
- Custom AI systems, integrations, workflows, or full stack rebuilds
- Hosted on your infrastructure or mine (your call, documented in the agreement)
- Full source code at handover — you own it, can extend it, can have anyone maintain it
- Documentation, runbook, and 1-hour training session
- Four weeks of post-launch monitoring included
// fixed price means
- The price is the price. If the build takes longer than estimated, that is on me.
- Scope changes go through a written change order with a delta price.
- Weekly demos catch scope drift before it becomes invoice surprise.
// who it's for
- Mid-size firms with a specific tech project on the calendar (DMS migration, billing-system rebuild, custom workflow)
- Firms with a workflow problem no off-the-shelf tool solves
- Practice groups that need a tool the firm-wide IT team can't prioritize
Fractional CTO Retainer
// what you get
- Weekly 30-minute strategy call with the Managing Partner (or designated lead)
- Standing async Slack/email access (typical reply < 4 hours during business hours)
- Vendor evaluations, contract reviews, RFP oversight on standing call
- Engineering-hire interviews and reference calls (when needed)
- Annual security audit + tech roadmap presented to the partnership
- M&A technology diligence when applicable (one transaction included per year)
- One Bespoke Build of up to 40 hours per quarter included (scoped jointly)
- Direct mobile number — no junior, no handoff, no agency layer
// monthly cadence (typical)
- 4 strategy calls (one per week, 30 min)
- 2–3 vendor / contract reviews on the call
- 1 written executive summary at month-end
- Standing async access for fire drills
// who it's for
- Firms 15–75 attorneys that need standing CTO function but not a full-time hire
- Firms in transition (M&A, generational, growth)
- Firms with a board / partnership that wants a defensible tech narrative
Why these specific prices.
Industry market data for fractional CTO services in 2026 ranges from $2,999/mo at the early-stage advisory end to $25,000+/mo at the full-time-embed end. Hourly rates run $150–$500/hr, with experienced operators clustered at $200–$350/hr. Legal/regulated industries command a 30–50% premium over generalist tech consulting (per industry benchmarking).
The Knight CTO retainer at $9,500/mo sits in the middle of the standard range. The Knight Legal AI Deployment at $9,800 setup is materially cheaper than custom legal-AI builds from generalist firms (typical: $25K–$60K), because it is a productized installation of a system I have already built and continue to refine.
If I billed hourly at the senior fractional CTO rate ($300/hr), the equivalent of the $9,500/mo retainer is ~32 hours per month — which is about right for the standing function plus the one Bespoke Build per quarter. The retainer is priced to be cheaper than the hourly equivalent in exchange for predictable revenue and the ability to plan the engagement properly. It also removes the perverse incentive to slow-walk work.