Since the Covid outbreak our normal practice was modified to give help to people and see if we could provide assistance to them without a substantial expense.
We now have an initial 30 minute consult, done over the telephone, for no charge. The idea is for you to gain more information about what is occurring, what is needed and determine if the attorney is a “good fit” for you. The consult is a one-time meeting, no follow up questions are answered without an additional attorney fee
Should additional counsel be needed, then a more detailed meeting is established. This meeting usually lasts 1 hour to 1.5/2 hours. The meeting can be held in-person at our office, via a video meeting (i.e. Zoom, Teams), or by telephone. This is determined by the individual wanting the consult and the attorney. The fee for this consult ranges from 1 hour with a fee of $350.00 (for a meeting not involving a review of documents); to a consult which lasts no more than 2 hours with a fee of $395.00 (for a meeting in which documents are reviewed during the consult.) The $395.00 is a reduction from the normal attorney hourly rate.
Should many documents need to be reviewed prior to the meeting, which will affect the length of the meeting, and a review of the documents is to be done before the meeting, the attorney will advise you of the charge prior to the meeting being scheduled. The fee for the representation is dependent upon the type of services requested/required. The attorney will advise the fee for representation at the consult.
You will ONLY meet with an attorney who is in good standing with the State Bar of Arizona. There is no attorney/ client relationship nor representation by the Firm without a signed /dated fee agreement executed by the attorney and client.
Type of Consults:
Telephonic
Video (i.e. Zoom, Teams)
In person
Length and Fee of Consults:
.5 hour - initial consult, only telephonic, no charge No follow up questions without an additional attorney fee
1 hour - $350.00 without documents being reviewed This is a second consult after the initial one-half hour telephonic consult. No follow up questions without an additional attorney fee
1.5 to 2 hours - $395.00 with documents being reviewed at the meeting. This is a second consult after the initial one-half hour consult. No follow up questions without an additional attorney fee,
Fee will be provided, at the .5 hour no charge consult, for review of voluminous documents prior to the meeting, when scheduling the meeting. This is a second consult after the initial consult.
The Consult does not establish attorney client relationship and/or any form of retention of/by the Firm. Any retention of the Firm requires a written agreement, on Firm letterhead, and fully executed by all parties (attorney and client) along with the full fee/retention amount, set forth in the fee/retention agreement, being paid. The Consult is a one (1) time meeting. Any follow up questions and/or requests for information are not covered by the one-time meeting/one-time fee and requires a payment of the responsible attorney’s hourly fee. Questions asked after the client consult will be billed at a rate of $425.00/hr. If the Firm has not been retained, a minimum of one (1) hour will be charged and is to be pre-paid prior to speaking with the attorney. No information disclosed during the consult will prohibit my later representation of a different client in the matter if You do not or have not engage(s) the Firm’s services. Any information disclosed is confidential
Initial Consults are beneficial for many reasons:
You may want to familiarize yourself with a specific aspect of the legalities of a case
You may have been served with a summons to: Justice Court, Superior Court, Tax Court and you want to know the required steps and when to take them.
You may have spoken with someone (hopefully an attorney) and would like another opinion or research of a legal issue.
You want to ensure the attorney you selected is one that you are compatible with, have a comfort with in disclosing facts pertinent to the case, advises you of the facts (good and not so good) and believe the attorney will represent your interests.
We do ask for information from perspective Clients. We do ask that an Input Sheet be completed. The information is NOT shared with anyone and we also perform a conflict of interest check before the representation can commence. The information we request is:
Name
Email address
Telephone number
Name of an opposing party (if applicable)
Type of issue requiring legal assistance i.e. taxes, bankruptcy, etc.
Representation does not become effective until a written agreement is executed by all parties (Client and Firm) and the fee is paid. Payments made toward the fee may be an available option.