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Calculate your startup’s legal costs

A direct comparison between Outlex and a traditional law firm — in 30 seconds, based on your startup’s stage, team, and contract volume.

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Why Outlex instead of a traditional law firm

Outlex is an AI-first legal operating system built for European startups — AI contract review in about 90 seconds, jurisdiction-grounded answers from Lexi, and escalation to Outlex’s in-house team of licensed, Ordem dos Advogados-registered lawyers. All from €249/month (or €69.99/month on Early Stage, for eligible startups). A traditional law firm bills €150–300 per hour, with Series A legal work commonly running €50,000–150,000 or more, and turnaround measured in days.

Side by side

Cost
Traditional law firm€150–300/hour · €50K–150K+ for Series A
OutlexFlat €249–€549/mo (Early Stage €69.99/mo for eligible startups)
Contract review speed
Traditional law firm~3 days
Outlex~90 seconds, with AI risk scoring across 8 categories
Legal Q&A
Traditional law firmBilled by the hour or by email
OutlexIncluded — jurisdiction-specific answers with sources and a confidence score
Availability
Traditional law firmBusiness hours, by appointment
OutlexAnytime via Lexi; human escalation with a 24–48h SLA
Best for
Traditional law firmLitigation, high-stakes M&A, bespoke negotiation
OutlexRecurring contracts, day-to-day compliance, legal questions

When a law firm is still the better choice

Outlex is not a law firm, and it isn't trying to replace one for every situation. Some legal work still needs a named outside counsel of record.

  • Court litigation or dispute resolution.
  • Complex, high-stakes M&A or later-stage financing rounds with heavily negotiated bespoke terms.
  • Novel legal questions with no settled Portuguese or EU precedent to ground an answer in.
  • Situations where investors, regulators, or a counterparty specifically require a named external law firm of record.

Monthly cost calculator

Four fields. No sign-up. Numbers based on real PT/ES boutique-firm billing in 2024–2026.

What this estimate covers

Based on real data

Average hourly billing of boutique firms in Lisbon/Madrid (2024–2026) and typical hours per recurring task.

Not legal advice

For budgeting only. It does not replace analysis of your specific situation by a qualified lawyer.

Order of magnitude (±20%)

Litigation, M&A, or a fundraising round carry additional one-off costs outside this scope.

Frequently asked questions

Are these numbers realistic or marketing?+

Based on average hourly billing of boutique firms in Lisbon/Madrid (€150–€300/h) and typical hours per recurring task. Accuracy is ±20%. Litigation, M&A, and an investment round are one-off costs outside this scope.

What does the traditional estimate include?+

Commercial and employment contracts, NDAs, terms review, and occasional compliance support (GDPR, basic AML). It excludes company incorporation (€360–€800 one-off), litigation, and transactions.

What if I need a lawyer for something specific?+

Core and Growth include lawyer-chat credits (3/month on Core, 10/month on Growth) to bring in an Outlex lawyer when you need one. Early Stage is Lexi-only — you upgrade to Core when you need a lawyer. No separate retainer, no €300/h invoice arriving days later.

How do the savings work in practice?+

You replace variable hourly billing with a fixed subscription. The work itself stays the same (contracts, review, day-to-day compliance); what changes is the cost structure and response speed.

Why Early Stage (€69.99), Core (€249), or Growth (€549)?+

Early Stage (€69.99) is the entry plan for eligible startups (incorporated under 12 months ago, under $100K raised) — it includes Lexi and workflows, with no lawyer credits. Core (€249) covers moderate volume (<15 contracts/month, 1 jurisdiction) with 3 lawyer-chat credits/month. Growth (€549) covers higher volume, EU multi-jurisdiction, and Series A cases, with 10 credits/month. The calculator recommends a plan based on your inputs.

Is Outlex a law firm?+

No. Outlex is a software platform with an in-house legal team of licensed, Ordem dos Advogados-registered lawyers who review AI output and handle escalations directly. It is not a law firm, a lawyer network, or a referral service.

Can Outlex fully replace my lawyer?+

For routine, recurring legal work — contract review, templates, compliance tracking, day-to-day questions — often yes. For litigation, complex M&A, or high-stakes bespoke negotiation, a traditional law firm remains the better choice.

What jurisdictions does Outlex cover?+

Portuguese and EU-level law, with content available in English and European Portuguese.

Is this legal advice?+

No. It is a budgeting tool. Binding legal advice comes from Outlex’s lawyers, through the lawyer-chat credits included in the subscription.

Know what legal costs before you scale.

Book a 20-minute demo or browse the plans.

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