Larkspire Law · Fees
One fee. Here is what it covers.
Agreed in writing before any work starts. Nothing is owed until you sign an engagement letter, and nothing is owed beyond it. The Honest Assessment before you sign is free.
The flat fee
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| Individuals, most cases | $2,500 to $5,000 |
| Businesses, and losses over $500,000 | From $5,000, quoted in writing |
Within the individual range, the fee is set by the number of transfers and institutions involved, and is stated in the engagement letter before you sign. It never changes after signing.
Representation by Larkspire Law. A licensed attorney acts for you, from the day you sign.
What the flat fee covers
All three lanes, from the day you sign until the case is closed.
- Go after the money. We find where your money went, using professional crypto-tracing tools, to see where it can be frozen. Up to 20 transfers, starting with those most likely to lead to recovery; larger cases are quoted in writing. If the funds haven't reached an identifiable endpoint, we keep watching them for as long as your case is open. Hold requests (asking a bank or exchange to freeze the money) to the exchanges and banks where your funds can be traced, first through our investigators' direct contacts, and on law-firm letterhead where that's what it takes. For wires, hold requests go out within hours of signing. For crypto, they follow the trace, usually on day 2. Follow-up with those institutions, and with law enforcement. If funds surface in a government seizure while your case is open, we file the claim for you. Court is never part of the flat fee. If it makes sense, we tell you and introduce trial counsel (the lawyers who take a case to court) who work on contingency (paid only from what they win) and advance the costs. You decide.
- Claim it on your taxes. If the money can’t come back and your loss qualifies, the tax package from Larkspire, Inc. is included at no extra cost. It is prepared for you and checked by an independent, licensed tax professional (a CPA or enrolled agent). Larkspire, Inc. is not a law firm, and the tax package is not legal or tax advice. You are free to use your own preparer.
- Should your bank pay? Coming late 2026 Our written findings on whether any bank or platform involved may have to answer for the loss, under the law that applies to you. In some states, a partner lawyer licensed there reviews and signs. Where there is a real theory: a records request, then a reimbursement request to your bank: your facts, the law that applies, and what happens next if they don't act, and a regulator complaint where appropriate. We protect your deadlines with your bank from day one. The full accountability review follows once the recovery route is answered. If your bank does not act and the claim warrants it, it proceeds to arbitration (a private hearing instead of court) under your bank's account agreement, through co-counsel (a partner law firm) we have selected who take it on a contingency basis. Their fee comes out of what that claim returns. Nothing more is owed by you, and any arrangement between us and them is set out in your engagement letter and follows the rules on dividing fees in New York and in your state.
- Your case, kept. A secure case file with every document, letter and receipt, and a person you can write to.
The share
If money comes back, a share of what is returned. Set in writing before you sign, within this range:
| How the money came back | Share |
|---|---|
| Through a government seizure we did not trigger. We file your forfeiture or remission claim (the government process for returning seized money). | 10% |
| Through our own action: a hold request or a negotiated return, including funds we had frozen that law enforcement then seized and returned. | 20% |
If money comes back through a court case, you pay only trial counsel's fee. Our share never applies on top. If trial counsel shares that fee with us, you agree to it in writing first, including each firm's share, under New York's rules on dividing fees. It never adds to what you pay.
Percentages are calculated on what is returned, before any costs. Arbitration through co-counsel Coming late 2026 is not in this table; their fee comes out of that claim.
Nothing is owed on money that does not come back.
No share is taken on tax refunds or tax savings.
Paying and canceling
The flat fee is paid when you sign. It is earned in two steps. Half when we deliver your case summary, the police packet and, for crypto, the trace. The rest once the outside work is done: reports filed and banks or exchanges contacted.
Cancel before work starts for a full refund. If the engagement ends before the work is done, we refund any part of the fee not yet earned.
Hardship
If the fee would be a hardship.
We waive the flat fee for a small number of cases each month, for people who couldn't otherwise afford a lawyer. The share still applies, only if money comes back. Same lawyer, same work.
The standard
Your case is worth pursuing, and your household income is below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab) (about $39,900 a year for one person, $82,500 for a family of four, in 2026), or you receive a benefit such as SNAP, Medicaid or SSI.
The same line many legal aid programs use.
How. Start with your free assessment. If your case is worth pursuing, ask us then. We'll ask for proof: a benefits letter or last year's tax return.
Free to ask. No account. We never call first.
What the fee does not cover
- Work on matters outside the three lanes above, which we would quote separately in writing before starting.
- Fees charged by third parties you choose to engage, such as your own tax preparer.
Attorney Advertising. Larkspire Law is the trade name of Racine Staub PLLC, a New York professional limited liability company. 122 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013. (332) 310-3803. Fees published here are honored for at least 90 days after they last appear on this site. Fees are paid to Racine Staub PLLC. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Nicola R. Staub is admitted in Switzerland, not in New York. Last updated September 2026.