Consultation

A consultation is a scheduled, private meeting between you and the attorney. It is not a sales pitch and it is not a general overview of the law. It is a focused, confidential conversation about your specific situation.

During the consultation, you will have the opportunity to share the details of your matter, ask questions, and receive legal guidance tailored to your facts. The attorney will listen, analyze what you share, identify the legal issues involved, explain your options, and give you an honest assessment of where things stand.

Think of it as your chance to get real answers from a licensed professional who is focused entirely on you and your circumstances for that period of time. What you discuss is protected by attorney-client privilege, meaning it stays between you and the attorney.

A consultation is not the same as hiring an attorney. You are not committing to anything by scheduling one. It is simply the first and most important step toward understanding your legal situation and making an informed decision about what to do next.

You may be wondering whether you even need a consultation before hiring an attorney. The answer is almost always yes, and here's why.

Family law matters involving divorce, custody, child support, and successions are not one-size-fits-all. The law depends heavily on the specific facts of your situation, and small details can make a big difference in your outcome. A consultation gives you the opportunity to sit down with an attorney, lay out the facts, and get real answers tailored to your circumstances.

Without a consultation, you're making major decisions about your children, your finances, and your property without fully understanding your legal rights and options. That's a risk you don't have to take.

A consultation also helps you evaluate whether this is the right attorney for your case. You should feel confident in who you hire, and that starts with a conversation.

In probate and succession matters, a consultation is especially important. When a loved one passes, there are deadlines, procedural requirements, and asset considerations that most people are simply not aware of. Whether the estate is large or small, whether there is a will or not, whether heirs are in agreement or not. Each of those factors changes the legal process significantly. Meeting with an attorney early can prevent costly mistakes, protect your inheritance rights, and make an already difficult time much less overwhelming.

Here's what you walk away with after a consultation: a clear understanding of where you stand legally, knowledge of your options and possible outcomes, a realistic picture of what the process looks like, and the ability to make an informed decision about next steps.

You don't have to commit to hiring anyone. But you do owe it to yourself and your family to get informed before you decide anything.

The consultation fee is $100, which is already a reduced rate from the standard hourly rate of $200. Even though your consultation may last a full hour, you will never be charged more than the flat $100 fee for that time.

To secure your appointment, payment must be received at least 2 hours before your scheduled consultation time. Your appointment is not confirmed until payment is received. Payment is simple and convenient; just visit this website and click the Payment tab to pay by credit card. Once your payment is processed, your appointment is locked in, and we look forward to speaking with you. Regardless if you pay with a debit or a credit card, a 3% fee will automatically be added to your payment, so the total cost will be $103.00. We do not accept checks or cash for consultations, but we do for retainer fees, so you will not be expected to pay credit/debit card transaction fees on large amounts unless you can only pay with credit/debit cards (in which case the 3% fee applies).

Provide important identifying information, complete forms, provide your ID, and talk to the attorney. The reality is that attorneys understand that your visit to their office is strictly confidential. Rarely will anyone be kept waiting for more than a few minutes in the lobby, as attorneys try to prevent two clients, especially new clients, from being present in the lobby at the same time, whenever possible.

During your initial consultation with an attorney, expect the attorney to provide you with an overview of what to anticipate. For example, if you’re meeting the attorney about a family law matter, expect the following five issues to be discussed: (1) the divorce process, (2) matters pertaining to any minor children of the marriage, (3) division of your assets and liabilities, (4) support (both child support and spousal support), and (5) the related attorneys’ fees and costs. In order to be able to address these five primary issues for you and provide you with a potential gameplan, it be will necessary for the attorney to make a substantial inquiry into all sorts of matters.

Additional questions will be related to financial matters, and other questions will be of a more personal nature in terms of any precipitating events and “who did what to whom.” Know that when answering these questions the attorney-client privilege is in effect, meaning anything you tell to the attorney will not, and cannot, be repeated to anyone without your permission.

With that understanding, it is imperative that you tell the attorney the truth and provide all of the related details. The quality of the advice you receive will be directly proportional to the candor with which you answer the attorney’s questions.

The first series of questions usually pertains to name, address(es), phone numbers, dates of birth, and social security numbers for you and your spouse. The reason this information is needed is so that the attorney can be prepared to file a case, if necessary, on short notice should you call back in two days, two months, or two years. What you do not want to occur is for you to call the attorney back several weeks down the road, if and when you need immediate action, and have the attorney not be in possession of the basic information to proceed with filing papers with a court on your behalf. It is okay to provide address and telephone contact information; no one is going to call you at any telephone number or send you any mail at any address without your express permission.