Initial Consultation / Diagnosis
 
Why don't we offer free consultations?

At least six reasons:

1. Complexity. Our typical prospective client presents with complex or unusual commercial and real-estate related issues. Such a prospective client is usually referred by another attorney who isn't sure what to do with their case. Therefore, we almost always have to apply considerable expertise and effort to diagnose the "patient" — expertise that few other lawyers have.

2. Getting back to you. We generally hear that when prospective clients go to non-specialized attorneys for so-called "free consultations," the typical advice they receive is "Let me get back to you." And then they still end up having to pay for the lawyer to "get back to them." We're not a "let-me-get-back-to-you" type of firm. At the end of your initial consultation you will be given a pretty good idea of whether we can help you address your challenges, what possible strategies or tactics we'd propose, what the likelihood of success might be, and the range of likely costs. In other words, you will get at least if not more than what you pay for.

3. Face time. We generally can't give effective phone consultations because we almost always need "face time" with prospective clients. Almost all of our cases involve complex paperwork or require public record searches that just can't be done over the phone. Plus, we may need to evaluate prospective clients for intangible factors that can affect the outcome of settlement or a trial.

4. Volume and value. Abe Lincoln's wisdom still holds true: "An attorney's time and advice is his stock in trade." Given the volume of calls and requests we get, we simply can't afford to give away our stock in trade.

5. Seriously. We believe that if prospective clients don't pay something for our time and advice, then we can't take ourselves seriously. We trust that you, as a prospective client, will agree that after your initial consultation with us you will get serious treatment and you will get more than what you paid for.

6. Referrals / Collaboration. If we conclude that we are not best equipped to handle your matter, we can collaborate with or refer you to other attorneys who have the expertise you might need. And we will follow up. Over the last 20 years we have developed a collaborative network of attorneys who we feel are the best in their practice areas (such as bankruptcy, real estate transactions, real estate title search, condominium / HOA, tax, estate planning, corporate, etc.).*

If you would like to arrange for an initial prospective client consultation please click on this Information Form hyperlink (which will open an Adobe Reader© intake form in another window) and complete the form. By clicking on the "Submit-by-Email" button it's easy to automatically e-mail your contact information and relevant data back to us.

We will keep your information absolutely confidential. We need this information to rule out any potential conflicts of interest and to get to know you better so we can evaluate your situation better. (Plus, it will make the initial consultation go more smoothly.)

Given our court schedules, we typically prefer to schedule initial interviews on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Under special circumstances, weekend and after-hour appointments can be arranged.

By contacting us, or providing us with information you are not creating an attorney-client relationship. A written agreement as to the specific scope and terms of employment is required before an attorney-client relationship can be established. (But, note, too, that even if we do not become your attorneys, any information that you provide to us will remain absolutely confidential... unless, of course, it has to do with the prospective commission of a crime or a fraud.)

If you'd like to prepay your initial consultation with PayPal, please follow the link below for an easy on-line payment option using either your PayPal© account, or any major credit card. Please do not make any payments until requested to do so by our office.


*We neither accept nor make "referral fees." Although such a practice is unethical, it is still, unfortunately, common. We take pride in getting prospective clients to or associating with the best lawyers for the job... not the ones who pay kickbacks.