Conveyance Law was built around flat fees wherever the engagement allows. For most of our routine real estate and business transactions, the price is set in advance, agreed upon at the start of the engagement, and held through to delivery. Clients budget for legal services the same way they budget for any other professional service, and quick questions get answered quickly because nobody is watching a clock.
Flat fees
Representative flat fees
The fees below are representative for routine engagements. Substantially complex matters, such as non-standard documents, multi-party negotiation, or expedited turnaround, may be priced separately. We confirm the fee with you in writing before work begins.
Commercial Real Estate Transactions
| Commercial Title Opinion | $625 |
| Commercial Purchase Agreement | $850 |
| Commercial Lease | $850 |
| Commercial Closing | $850 |
| Mortgage | $875 |
| Easement | $450 |
| Memorandum of Lease | $475 |
| Assignment and Assumption of Lease | $450 |
| Tenant Estoppel | $450 |
| SNDA | $850 |
| Option to Purchase | $850 |
Business Formation and Governance
| Single-Member LLC | $475 |
| Multi-Member LLC | $700 |
| Limited Partnership | $750 |
| Corporate Resolution | $450 |
| Asset Purchase Agreement | $1,500 |
Construction Law
| Preliminary Notice or Notice of Commencement posting on the MNLR | $175 |
| Mechanic’s Lien posting on the MNLR, with lien-rights and deadline review | $495 |
| Lien Demand Letter or Notice of Intent to Lien | $350 |
| Owner Response to a Posted Lien, including the §572.28 demand or release negotiation | $350 |
| Construction Contract Review, AIA or custom | $850 |
| Contractor Contract Package: subcontract or prime contract, change order form, and Iowa lien waiver set | $1,250 |
Development and Complex Transactions
| Development Agreement | $1,750 |
| Platting Documents | $1,750 |
| HOA Declaration | $1,750 |
| HOA Articles of Incorporation | $450 |
| Condominium | $2,500 |
| Loan Agreement | $3,000 |
| Intercreditor Agreement | $1,750 |
| Forbearance Agreement | $3,000 |
| Assignment of Tax Credits | $1,100 |
| Assignment of Development Agreement | $1,100 |
Opinion Letters
Opinion letters are priced based on the underlying transaction. Flat fees:
| 10% Test Opinion | $2,000 |
| 8609 Opinion | $2,000 |
| IFA 8T Opinion | $2,000 |
| TIF Opinion | $7,500 |
| Historic Tax Credit (HTC) Opinion | $7,500 |
| LIHTC / WHTC Opinion | $7,500 |
| Iowa Enforceability Opinion | $7,500 |
| Equity / Fannie Mae / HUD Opinion | $7,500 |
Residential Real Estate
| Residential Title Opinion | $375 |
| Residential Purchase Agreement | $600 |
| Residential Closing | $495 |
| Deed | $125 |
| Release of Mortgage | $375 |
Hourly
Hourly rates
For matters that don’t fit a flat fee engagement, we work hourly: litigation, complex workouts, contested transactions, ongoing advisory work, and any engagement where scope is genuinely variable.
Larry James
$390 per hour
Nick Hudson
$250 per hour
We provide hourly engagement letters that include a clear scope, a not-to-exceed estimate where the work permits, and monthly billing statements with detailed time entries.
Custom quotes
Engagement-specific pricing
Some matters fit neither a clean flat fee nor a straightforward hourly arrangement. Examples include layered tax credit transactions with multiple opinion deliverables, multi-party development agreements, complex M&A transactions, and matters with significant uncertainty about scope or counterparty behavior.
For these engagements, we structure the fee around the deliverables. Typically a combination of scoped flat fees on individual components plus an hourly rate for the variable elements, often with a not-to-exceed cap. The goal is the same as our flat fee work: cost certainty for the client, aligned incentives on both sides, and no surprises in the invoice.
Expenses
Reimbursable expenses
Pass-through costs incurred on a client’s behalf are billed at cost without markup. These include filing fees (Iowa Land Records, Iowa Secretary of State, Delaware Secretary of State), recording fees, court filing fees, registered agent fees, lien search fees, title search fees, certified mail and overnight delivery, wire fees, and similar third-party costs. Reimbursable expenses are itemized on the invoice with supporting documentation.
Get Started
Working with our firm
If you’re considering a project, structuring a transaction, or working through a problem that’s developing, we’d be glad to talk. The decisions made early in a deal compound, and engaging the right legal counsel before the structure is locked in is meaningfully more valuable than fixing things later.
Conveyance Law, PLC | Des Moines, Iowa | 515.519.3600
