Free Initial Phone or E-Mail Assessment
You can get fifteen minutes of my time for FREE just by calling. If I can't talk to you when you call, we will schedule a time when we can talk for fifteen minutes about your problem.
You may also send me an email with the words "Request Free Assessment" in the subject line. In the body of your email you should describe your problem with as much detail as possible.* I will reply to you with a brief message and a few words about your problem.
If you are not a California resident or the legal matter is outside of California, I may give you information and suggestions for action but it shall not constitute "legal advice" for purposes of practicing law. You should probably consult an attorney in your area. In the future, I intend to get admitted to practice law in other jurisdictions.
*NOTE: Electronic messages are about as secure as the general phone system, but some persons may not want to divulge sensitive or confidential information in unencrypted electronic mail. I can't absolutely guarantee that your electronic mail will not be intercepted and thereby kept confidential other than the usual means that I may undertake to secure your messages and meet my general duty to maintain your confidentiality.
ATTENTION
PLEASE NOTE THAT OVER THE TELEPHONE OR IN THE EMAIL EXCHANGE I WILL NOT BE PROVIDING YOU LEGAL ADVICE. NOT ONLY IS THAT WHAT I SELL, BUT BY DOING SO A LAWYER MAY INADVERTENTLY TRIGGER THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT FIDICIUARY RELATIONSHIP AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO THAT UNTIL I HAVE COMPLETED MY CONFLICT OF INTEREST CHECK, REVIEWED YOUR SITUATION COMPLETELY AND DECIDED TO ACCEPT REPRESENTATION OF YOU IN THE MATTER.
Personal Consultation ($100)
I provide a free initial assessment and will give you some general advice or summary of your situation but not legal advice nor will we at that point have formed an attorney-client relationship.
After the initial assessment or instead of it, you may wish to purchase a "Personal Consultation." A Personal Consultation involves discussing with you the attorney-client relationship, a preliminary gathering of information about you and your situation and your completing some information forms so that I may run a conflict of interest evaluation and begin to do some research for you.
To arrange a Personal Consultation you will need to pay $100 in advance. At our meeting you will sign an "Acknowledgment of Consultation Fee" which serves as both your receipt and notice to you that you are not yet hiring me as your attorney and that the consultation itself does not make me your attorney.
Whenever possible, the Personal Consultation should be in person. If you are in Southern California I will often travel to meet you in your office or at home. If time or distance does not permit that, then we can arrange the Personal Consultation over the telephone or if you need Russian, Spanish or Estonian translation, we can arrange a conference call with my translator. If we will not be meeting in-person, I will require the signed "Acknowledgement of Consultation Fee" either written, faxed or via e-mailed to me prior to our meeting.
After this meeting and I have time to evaluate some of the factors involved and also completed the conflicts check, I will be able to inform you if I am able to represent you in the matter and will try to so as soon as possible after the meeting.
If you decide to hire me as your attorney, I will credit the $100 Consultation Fee towards the cost of the work that I will perform for you.
Case Conference
If I am able to represent you and you decide to hire me, we will next schedule a Case Conference. At the this conference we will discuss in detail your situation, claims, defenses, etc. Prior to the conference I will give you a list of things that I would like you to bring to the conference.
After the conference, I will provide you a written legal analysis of your problem or needs and of the steps that you should take to address the situation including an overall case plan. I will also provide you with a rough estimate of the cost to you of my services in handling the matter.
Fixed-Fee Schedule
I prefer to perfom most of my services on a Fixed-Fee Schedule Basis. I believe that "hourly billing" as most lawyers do it, doesn't promote work efficiency and also doesn't provide the client with confidence that the work will be done on time and on budget.
For some services I have predetermined the fee based upon what it normally takes for the average case. In other situations, after weighing all the factors we will come to an agreement on what the fee for my services will be. We will always have our agreement summarized in our Fee Agreement.
The flat-fee normally will not include any applicable taxes or required fees such as Government application or court filing fees.
Some specific fees for common work can be found right here on the website in the pages that describe those services. For other work, we will need to negotiate the fee after I have assessed your situation.
Hourly Rate ($55/hr - $150/hr)
I do not prefer to bill for my services at an Hourly Rate, but sometimes it is necessary to do so. My Hourly Rate ranges from $55/hr to $150/hr depending on the matter. Most clients pay a Standard Hourly Rate of $100/hr. Repeat business and clients taking advantage of my "package pricing" to receive a lower rate. The Hourly Rate will always be specified in the written Fee Agreement.
Contingency Fee Basis (15% - 45%)
Sometimes a person can't afford to pay a lawyer but has received some injury and needs to sue. If it looks as though the person may receive a significant economic recovery should they win their lawsuit, then the lawyer may take the case on contingency. In this case, the lawyer gets paid a percentage of the total economic judgment or recovery. Otherwise, the lawyer gets nothing for the work he or she has done.
I rarely take cases on a Contingency Basis. If I do work for you on this basis my percentage of the recovery or judgment will range from 15% to 45% and is usually scaled so that the less you recover the lower my percentage. This arrangement will be agreed to and specified in our written Fee Agreement.
Pro Bono Publico (for the public's good)
Believe it or not, it is part of an attorney's call to service, and some would say ethical and moral duty, to occasionally render legal services for free; that is on a "pro bono" basis.
Although as a solo practioner I can rarely afford to do this, I will consider Pro Bono representation of persons in certain situations and certain hardship cases.
I may favourably consider the following persons and groups for Pro Bono representation:
Immigrant Battered Women & Children
I offer free representation and aid in completing documents on behalf of any woman or child petitioning for immigrant benefits as a battered woman or battered child, pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and other U.S. CIS regulations and immigration law.
If you are in this situation and in need of help please call:
National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 [TDD]
and for legal assistance, contact me immediately.
Charities
Representing non-profits is a large part of my regular business. But I understand that charities sometimes need some legal help and can't afford to pay even my low fees. Depending on the circumstance, I may consider doing pro bono work for a charity.
Constitutional Issues and "Cutting Edge" cases
I am interested in cases that concern Constitutional issues such as First Amendment issues of freedom of religion, speech and expression and in cutting-edge issues concerning computer-mediated-communication, the Internet and Cyberlaw issues. I will consider taking some of these matters on a Pro Bono basis depending on the circumstances.
