Engagement Structure
Magister Operis publishes the rate card and engagement model that governs work taken on under this framework — hourly consultation, retainer-funded capacity, and formal working agreements. The standard seven-step method described on the Method page does not itself always require this framework but rather will determine applicability on a case-by-case basis. Three tiers, three rates, same numbers whether an hour is purchased singly or drawn against a retainer. Published so you can study what working together costs and looks like before either of us spends time drafting legal and/or financial paperwork.
Which path applies
This framework governs sustained engagements — government and public-sector mandates, corporate transactions, and private principals whose matters require ongoing capacity. Scope is established first. Mobilization and Working Retainers are then quoted against that scope and paid before work begins. Hours draw against the retainer at the published tier rates below.
Discrete matters are handled on a different page. A single question, a document reviewed before you sign it, instruction on how the intermediary and broker world operates, or a scoping conversation before any larger commitment — those are purchased by the hour or by the minute on the Purchase Time page. No scope, no retainer, and no agreement required.
The three-tier rate card
Most professional services price by the role being performed in the moment. Magister Operis follows the same convention. Three tiers cover the work; the applicable tier is determined by the nature of the hour, not by the client, the engagement type, or the size of the matter.
| Tier | Standard Rate | Overage Rate | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 Screening & Verification |
$250 per manhour |
$300 | Document review, due-diligence research, verification of SPA, IMFPA, and sub-fee agreement language, reviewing intermediary-chain documentation, drafting standard clauses. |
| Tier 2 Consulting & Technical |
$400 per manhour |
$480 | MERCATUS worksheet implementation walkthrough, custom variant build assistance, deal-structure coaching, broker-chain architecture review, gross/net pricing analysis on a specific deal. |
| Tier 3 Funding & Transaction Advisory |
$600 per manhour |
$720 | Live deal advisory, host-bank introduction strategy, paymaster coordination, principal-counsel coordination, collateral sourcing approach, transaction architecture for institutional-grade deals. |
All three tiers are available within any engagement that uses this framework. The hour is billed at whichever tier matches the nature of the work in that hour. A single engagement frequently consumes hours across all three tiers as the work moves from research to structure to live transaction.
Overage is a uniform 20% at every tier.
Time is tracked by software and billed in six-minute increments (one tenth of an hour). Where it applies, Magister Operis uses artificial intelligence tools to reduce the time a task requires. You are billed for the reduced time. Judgment, structure, and scope have no automated substitute. These are not bid rates.
A single hour purchased on the Purchase Time page, an hour worked under a Working Retainer, and an hour billed under a formal Working Agreement are all charged at the same per-hour tier rate. The administrative wrapper changes with the size of the engagement; the rate does not.
Single hours and metered access are purchased on the Purchase Time page.
The retainer model
For engagements meaningful enough to need ongoing capacity, four cleanly separated funds carry the engagement forward. Each fund does one job. Nothing is mingled. Which retainers apply, and in what amounts, is determined per engagement and fixed in the working agreement before work begins.
Mobilization Retainer
A one-time, non-refundable fee paid upfront that activates the engagement and reserves time on the calendar. Sets the priority position in the queue.
Working Retainer
A depleting dollar balance maintained by the client. Hours worked are drawn against the balance at the applicable tier rate. When the balance approaches zero, the client is notified and may replenish; if work continues unreplenished, overage rates apply.
Travel Retainer
A separate depleting deposit reserved for travel, lodging, courier, translation, filings, and subscription expenses. Held individually to keep advisory hours and travel costs visibly distinct. Replenished when the balance falls below a defined threshold.
Overage Rate
When the Working Retainer reaches zero and the engagement continues, the higher overage rate applies to additional hours. No surprise: the trigger is the depleted retainer, and the client always sees the balance.
Mingling advisory hours, travel costs, and overage exposure into one bucket is how engagements lose discipline. Funds are held separately so advisory hours, travel costs, and overage exposure each account on their own line.
Priority is determined by funded engagement
Clients with an active retainer receive priority over single-hour purchases and over speculative inquiries. The queue is determined by who has funded engagement active — and by nothing else.
This means a single-hour buyer's request may be scheduled after a retained client's request even if the single hour was purchased first. The single-hour buyer is welcome to convert to a retainer at any time at the same per-hour rate; the hour already paid for credits against the new retainer balance.
What this rate discipline reflects
Most clients comparing professional services rates discover that the numbers vary by who is asking. Published here: the rate for every tier, the overage rule and the single condition that triggers it, the separation of retainer funds, and the rule that funded clients are scheduled ahead of single-hour buyers. None of it changes based on who is asking.
Engagements that move beyond the standard method — substantive transactions, ongoing retainers, and formal working agreements — proceed within this framework.
Ready to engage
Single hours and metered access are on the Purchase Time page. Worksheet products (Generic and Crypto Direct, in both pricing models, individually or as bundles) are in the MERCATUS catalog. For larger engagements, transaction advisory, or ongoing retainer relationships, please use the qualification path at Begin Qualification. For engagements that require this framework, the structure described on this page is the agreed basis for the work. Standard-method inquiries proceed under the Method framework instead.