If you were served with documents from an attorney (or your spouse or partner gave them to you) or you are considering legal action yourself, I strongly recommend consulting with an attorney.
I use the time very efficiently to listen carefully to your circumstances, review any documents that you provide, identify the issues and your legal rights, explain procedures in your case, and—most importantly—inform you about the different approaches you can take and the potential outcome of each. We will discuss the pros and cons of court action, early settlement with agreed orders, mediation, arbitration, and trial. Based on an assessment of the opposing party and their counsel (if represented), I may also suggest how the other party could respond to actions you are considering.
You may decide after the Initial Consultation that you want to represent yourself, require full legal representation, or prefer to hire an attorney to do certain projects (Unbundled Legal Services).
Words of Caution
Do not ignore documents that you receive. Legal documents can be confusing. A hearing date may be obvious, but you may be required to calculate the deadline to file a response with the court clerk and provide
copies to the judge and the opposing party or their attorney. Family and friends can be helpful, but they can be misinformed. The sooner you speak with an attorney, the sooner you will understand your rights and
options.
Regardless of what your spouse or partner indicates about the accuracy or fairness of the documents, you should have them reviewed by an attorney that you select because that attorney is committed to your interests. This includes documents that your spouse or partner claims their attorney has approved for your signature. An attorney that you have never met, regardless of what your spouse or partner indicates, does not represent your interests. Call me today to set up an appointment: 206.367.6962.
What you should you bring to our Initial Consultation
When you call for an appointment, depending upon the issues and status of your case, I will suggest documents and information to gather for our meeting and how to collect those documents if they are not in your possession. The more organized you are, the more helpful and cost effective your initial consultation will be.
Make a list of important events, the chronology of the dispute and claims, and include references to relevant documents.
You should bring all of the documents to the Initial Consultation, including a copy of each document for the attorney. If you are divorced, you should bring the final, signed orders from your dissolution or parentage case (e.g., Decree of Dissolution, Order of Child Support, Parenting Plan). If you do not have a copy, look at the Resources page for instructions.
Initial Consultation Fee
I offer one-half hour consultation for free, which can be on the phone or in person. If the Initial Consultation extends past 30 minutes (which is the client’s decision), the balance of the time will be charged in one-tenth of an hour increments at the standard hourly rate of $225 per hour. The entire fee is payable by cash, check, debit, or credit card at the time of the consultation.
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