---
title: "The money"
url: https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal/money
captured: [legal-check.txt, legal-decline.txt, legal-demand.txt, legal-docket-watch.txt, legal-fill.txt, legal-formation.txt, legal-patent.txt, legal-self.txt, legal-strict.txt, legal-walk.txt]
---
# The money

URL: https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal/money

> Every legal matter's ledger, as check prints it before you sell and as the owner reads it after. The brand's rail and the attorney's, a raised fee, two prices, pay that accrues at the act, and what an early end costs.

*legal's words: matter is a job, asset is a subject, review is a task, signer is a member, network is a pool, outcome is a end (examples/legal/brand.ts).*

A matter earns the brand its price, less the AI, the people it pays and services.dev's take on the value the brand adds. Each person's fee rides one of two rails, set per act in [the rules table](https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal/rules.md): on the brand's, the brand pays them; on the attorney's, the attorney sells their own fee at the same checkout.

## Before you sell

`check` prints each Service's ledger, and its margin with the arithmetic that makes it: the price, less each fee, the AI cap and coverage. Then the ladder's cap, and a decline and a second person:

```bash
npx services.dev check
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
services/contract-review.ts · 16 lines · $99 per job, within 48 hours, charged on acceptance.
  ledger  +$99.00 · attorney's fee $50.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $49.00 · AI $1.26 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $43.74
  margin  at least $25.20 when the first attorney signs ($99.00 − $50.00 attorney − $19.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $0.20 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$28.80 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $69.80
services/demand-letter.ts · 26 lines · $149 per job, within 48 hours, charged on send's receipt.
  ledger  +$149.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $74.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $67.90
  margin  at least $40.20 when the first attorney signs ($149.00 − $75.00 attorney − $29.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $2.70 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$38.80 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $104.80
services/docket-watch.ts · 10 lines · $12 per month, charged at the start of each month.
  ledger  +$12.00 · AI $0.84 (example) · watcher $4.00 · coverage $4.00 · you $3.16
  margin  at least $1.60 when the first watcher does ack ($12.00 − $4.00 watcher − $2.40 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $0.00 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves
          a job that stops costs you at most $2.40
services/formation.ts · 30 lines · $299 per job, within 48 hours, charged on form_entity's receipt.
  ledger  +$299.00 · attorney's fee $60.00 at advise_entity, sold by the attorney (rail member) · attorney's fee $60.00 at advise_83b, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $179.00 · AI $0.84 (example) · coverage $8.00 · you $170.16
  margin  at least $111.20 when the first attorney does advise_entity ($299.00 − $60.00 attorney at advise_entity − $60.00 attorney at advise_83b − $59.80 AI cap − $8.00 coverage) · $51.20 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$16.80 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $119.80
services/provisional-patent.ts · 24 lines · $199 per job, within 5 days, charged on file's receipt.
  ledger  +$199.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · practitioner $150.00 (rail brand) · coverage $4.00 · you $42.90
          +$79.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · you $76.90 · self
  margin  at least $5.20 when the first practitioner signs ($199.00 − $150.00 practitioner − $39.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $0.00 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$148.80 after a decline and a second practitioner · −$148.80 when a routed step runs
          a job that stops costs you at most $189.80
services/trademark-response.ts · 21 lines · $349 per job, within 48 hours, charged on file's receipt.
  ledger  +$349.00 · attorney's fee $175.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $174.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $167.90
  margin  at least $100.20 when the first attorney signs ($349.00 − $175.00 attorney − $69.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $12.70 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$78.80 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $244.80
```

The patent's `second_look` runs only when the examination runs out of rounds, so its fee sits in the routed case, not the floor.

## Price it so a decline doesn't sink it

A decline pays the first attorney, and the second one does the work: decline cover, funded from the brand's share. `margin: 'strict'` makes `check` refuse a price that case leaves below cost. Two cures:

```bash
npx services.dev check   # strict: price: { usd: 149, release: 'send', margin: 'strict' }
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
services/demand-letter.ts · 26 lines · $149 per job, within 48 hours, charged on send's receipt.
  ledger  +$149.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $74.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $67.90
  margin  at least $40.20 when the first attorney signs ($149.00 − $75.00 attorney − $29.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $2.70 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · −$38.80 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $104.80
  ✗ A delivered job could lose money: payout, nested Services and the AI cap add up to more than the price. Raise price.usd, or lower payout. Under margin: 'strict', a decline and a second member leave −$38.80.
    https://services.dev/docs/reference/check/price_below_cost
✗ 1 to fix
```

```bash
npx services.dev check   # a price that carries a decline: price: { usd: 199, … }
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
services/demand-letter.ts · 26 lines · $199 per job, within 48 hours, charged on send's receipt.
  ledger  +$199.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $124.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $117.90
  margin  at least $80.20 when the first attorney signs ($199.00 − $75.00 attorney − $39.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $42.70 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · $1.20 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $114.80
✓ ready to sell · 6 Services · each keeps at least 3% of every job
```

```bash
npx services.dev check   # a fee the floor carries twice: roles: { attorney: { pool: attorneys, pay: 50 } }
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
services/demand-letter.ts · 26 lines · $149 per job, within 48 hours, charged on send's receipt.
  ledger  +$149.00 · attorney's fee $50.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $99.00 · AI $2.10 (example) · coverage $4.00 · you $92.90
  margin  at least $65.20 when the first attorney signs ($149.00 − $50.00 attorney − $29.80 AI cap − $4.00 coverage) · $40.20 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · $11.20 after a decline and a second attorney
          a job that stops costs you at most $79.80
✓ ready to sell · 6 Services · each keeps at least 3% of every job
```

## After delivery

The practitioner's $150, on the brand's rail; the applicant who signs herself, at $79; the attorney's $75 on theirs; formation's two advice fees:

```txt
→ GET /owner/matters/job_7Hq2   # the owner console
```

```txt title="magic values: metadata.sandbox.review = flag_once, member = mbr_eligible"
  ledger  +$199.00 · AI $4.20 · practitioner $150.00 (rail brand) · you $44.80
```

```txt
→ POST /matters {"service":"provisional-patent","invention":["disclosure.pdf"],"applicant":{"name":"Ada","email":"signs@example.test"},"inventors":[{"name":"Ada","email":"ada@example.com"}],"entity_size":"micro","posture":"self","max_usd":79,"key":"self"}
```

```txt title="magic values: applicant.email = signs@example.test, member = mbr_eligible"
← job_7Hq3 · delivered · $79.00 charged · posture self · rules 2026-10
  ledger  +$79.00 · AI $2.10 · you $76.90
```

```txt
→ GET /owner/matters/job_7Hq2   # the owner console
```

```txt title="magic values: metadata.sandbox.propose = { settlement: [3800] }, member = mbr_eligible"
  ledger  +$149.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $74.00 · AI $2.10 · you $71.90
```

```txt
→ GET /owner/matters/job_7Hq2   # the owner console
```

```txt title="magic values: metadata.sandbox.outside = { reject: [name_unavailable] }, member = mbr_eligible"
  ledger  +$299.00 · attorney's fee $60.00 at advise_entity, sold by the attorney (rail member) · attorney's fee $60.00 at advise_83b, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $179.00 · AI $0.84 · you $178.16
```

A watch charges $12 a cycle. Each Monday's check is $0 inside it, and an office action's response is charged at its own $349:

```txt
→ POST /trademark-response {…the next's arguments}
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
← job_7Hq4 · waiting · on party · $349.00 held · from sbn_7Hq2 · on sbj_7Hq2
← sbn_7Hq2 · docket-watch · active · cycle 1 · 2026-10-25 → 2026-11-25 · $12.00 per month
  minted      2026-10-26  schedule check → job_7Hq2 docket-watch · $0.00
  minted      2026-11-02  schedule check → job_7Hq3 docket-watch · $0.00
  minted      2026-11-02  event office_action.issued → trademark-response offered at $349.00
```

A raise the fill ladder makes is the brand's to fund:

```txt
→ POST /matters/job_7Hq2/accept
```

```txt title="magic values: client.email = signs@example.test"
← job_7Hq2 · accepted · flags.pdf · memo.pdf · $99.00 final
  ledger  +$99.00 · attorney's fee $55.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $44.00 · AI $1.26 · you $42.74
```

## When a matter ends early

A client who declines at her own ask pays for the acts already committed. An attorney's decline, then a second attorney, is decline cover:

```txt
→ POST /matters {"service":"demand-letter","client":{"name":"Ada","email":"ada@example.com"},"recipient":{"name":"Initech","email":"ap@initech.example"},"claim":"unpaid invoice 1042","amount":4200,"client_region":"US-NY","recipient_region":"US-NJ","evidence":["invoice-1042.pdf"],"max_usd":149,"key":"demand"}
```

```txt title="magic values: member = mbr_eligible"
← job_7Hq2 · ended · declined · letter.pdf · $75.00 final
  ledger  +$75.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $0.00 · AI $2.10 · you −$2.10
```

```txt
→ POST /reviews/tsk_7Hq3/attest {"checklist":["every claim is supported","no threat the client cannot carry out"]}   # as mbr_7Hq3
```

```txt title="magic values: none"
  ledger  +$149.00 · attorney's fee $75.00, sold by the attorney (rail member) · brand $74.00 · decline cover $75.00, funded from the brand's share · AI $2.10 · you −$3.10
```

Pay accrues at the act, payable two days later; [the delivery portal](https://services.dev/docs/app/members.md#getting-paid) covers it. [Money](https://services.dev/docs/money.md) has the formula.

---

- Up: [The legal example](https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal.md)
- Previous: [The owner console](https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal/console.md)
- Next: [What the brand gets](https://services.dev/docs/examples/legal/surfaces.md)