Executive Playbook — Expert Witness & Attorney Consultation Rates
Executive Playbook — Expert Witness & Attorney Consultation Rates
Below is a clean Executive Playbook rate card you can use for attorney-facing work, expert witness work, litigation support, media/digital evidence review, AI/blockchain/DeFi education matters, publishing/IP/business process matters, and executive advisory.
Executive Playbook — Expert Witness & Attorney Consultation Rates
Positioning Statement
Dr. Justin Goldston may be retained as an expert consultant, litigation-support consultant, academic/research expert, digital-systems analyst, AI/blockchain/DeFi/publishing strategist, or executive advisor. Services may include review of exhibits, digital content, platform activity, publication records, research artifacts, business systems, token/DAO structures, educational frameworks, and AI-enabled enterprise workflows.
This is expert and consulting support, not legal representation. Legal opinions, pleadings, court filings, and privileged legal strategy remain the responsibility of licensed counsel.
1. Expert Witness Rate Card
|
Service |
Recommended Rate |
|
Initial attorney consultation, up to 30 minutes |
$500 flat |
|
Case intake / conflict check / scope review |
$750 flat |
|
Expert consulting, document review, exhibit review |
$450–$650/hour |
|
Technical analysis: AI, blockchain, DeFi, DAO, digital evidence, publishing systems |
$650–$850/hour |
|
Written expert report / declaration drafting support |
$750–$950/hour |
|
Rebuttal report / opposing expert analysis |
$850–$1,100/hour |
|
Deposition testimony |
$950–$1,250/hour |
|
Trial testimony / arbitration testimony |
$1,250–$1,750/hour |
|
Half-day testimony minimum |
$5,000–$7,500 |
|
Full-day testimony minimum |
$10,000–$15,000 |
|
Rush review under 72 hours |
1.5x standard rate |
|
Emergency same-day review |
2x standard rate |
These ranges are defensible because expert witness rates commonly increase for deposition and trial testimony compared with ordinary file review. Expert Institute reports average expert rates of about $356/hour for initial case review, $448/hour for depositions, and $478/hour for trial testimony, while SEAK’s expert witness fee materials show broad market data across many specialties and disciplines.
For a specialized executive expert in AI, blockchain, DeFi, digital identity, publishing infrastructure, DAO governance, academic research artifacts, YouTube/media evidence, and enterprise implementation, pricing above general averages is reasonable because the work is cross-disciplinary and case-specific.
2. Attorney Consultation Rates
Use this when attorneys want strategy input, technical interpretation, exhibit framing, or litigation-support analysis.
|
Service |
Recommended Rate |
|
Attorney consultation call, 30 minutes |
$500 |
|
Attorney consultation call, 60 minutes |
$950 |
|
Attorney strategy session, 90 minutes |
$1,400 |
|
Attorney case theory / technical theory session |
$1,500–$2,500 |
|
Exhibit review package, up to 10 exhibits |
$2,500–$5,000 |
|
YouTube / social media / digital artifact review |
$3,500–$7,500 |
|
AI / blockchain / DeFi / DAO matter review |
$5,000–$15,000 |
|
Executive litigation-readiness memo |
$7,500–$20,000 |
Attorney hourly rates vary heavily by market and seniority. General lawyer rates often fall in the low hundreds per hour, while elite litigation partners and high-stakes specialists can exceed $2,000–$3,000/hour; Reuters reported top U.S. litigation rates reaching $3,000/hour in 2025 and $4,000/hour in 2026 for some elite lawyers.
Your pricing should sit below elite BigLaw attorney rates, but above ordinary consulting rates, because you are not selling legal representation; you are selling specialized subject-matter analysis.
3. Legal Consultation / Litigation Support Packages
Do not call this “legal advice” unless performed by a licensed attorney. Safer language:
Legal Consultation Support
Attorney-Facing Expert Consultation
Litigation Support Consultation
Technical Case Review
Executive Evidence Review
|
Package |
Price |
|
Basic Case Review |
$2,500 |
|
Executive Evidence Review |
$5,000 |
|
Expert Positioning Memo |
$7,500 |
|
Full Litigation Support Package |
$15,000 |
|
High-Stakes Technical Expert Package |
$25,000–$50,000 |
|
Ongoing Attorney Advisory Retainer |
$10,000/month minimum |
|
Priority Litigation Support Retainer |
$25,000/month minimum |
4. Exhibit-Based Review Rate
For screenshots like the one shown, use an exhibit-based structure.
Exhibit Review Pricing
|
Item |
Rate |
|
Single exhibit review |
$750–$1,500 |
|
Exhibit authentication context memo |
$1,500–$3,500 |
|
Timeline reconstruction from screenshots/messages/posts |
$2,500–$7,500 |
|
Digital-platform narrative analysis |
$3,500–$10,000 |
|
Court-ready exhibit summary binder |
$7,500–$20,000 |
Suggested language:
Exhibits A–Z may be reviewed for digital context, platform presentation, publication chronology, metadata relevance, business-use relevance, public-facing representation, and consistency with the broader research, publishing, AI, DeFi, or educational record.
5. Minimum Engagement Terms
Use this to protect time.
Minimum engagement: $2,500
Expert witness retainer: $10,000 minimum
Deposition retainer: $7,500 minimum, prepaid
Trial testimony retainer: $15,000 minimum, prepaid
Rush engagement: 1.5x
Same-day emergency engagement: 2x
Travel day: $5,000/day plus expenses
Cancellation within 72 hours: 50% of reserved time
Cancellation within 24 hours: 100% of reserved time
6. Best Version for the Executive Playbook
Final Rate Card Recommendation
For your Executive Playbook, I would publish this simplified version:
|
Category |
Rate |
|
Executive consultation |
$950/hour |
|
Attorney consultation |
$950/hour |
|
Expert consulting |
$650/hour |
|
Advanced technical expert consulting |
$850/hour |
|
Expert report / declaration support |
$950/hour |
|
Deposition testimony |
$1,250/hour |
|
Trial testimony |
$1,750/hour |
|
Minimum expert retainer |
$10,000 |
|
Litigation support package |
$15,000+ |
|
High-stakes case package |
$25,000–$50,000+ |
This gives you a premium but defensible structure: not cheap, not exaggerated, and aligned with high-value expert work.