OFFICE HOURS

They are generally from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. The office is closed for lunch between 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. If you come during lunch or after 5:00 p.m., please call us when you get here, or ring the buzzer on the right side of the doors. The attorneys are usually in court or tied up in the mornings, so we try to make all attorney appointments in the afternoon. However, you can drop off payments or paperwork during the day with the Legal Assistant. Please make sure to keep all scheduled appointments, or at least call ahead 48 hours in advance to notify us of any cancellations.

PHONE CALLS

When you leave us a message, please make sure to always leave a phone number with your name, even if you think we already have the number. Sometimes we may not have it handy, or it may have changed. We make it a point to return calls as soon as possible, usually the same day. Sometimes we return calls to our client but they do not have an answering machine, or have not set up their voice mail to accept messages. They may not even realize we have called them back.
         
CHECK UP ON THE STATUS OF YOUR CASE ON A REGULAR BASIS

Do not ever assume that anything is done in your case unless we have personally told you that it is. We make it a point to keep our clients updated, but also ask that you check on the status of your case at least once a month. We may have tried to call you but not been able to get in touch with you because of a disconnected number. Your file may be sitting in the "can't proceed" pile because we are waiting for you to get back in touch with us and provide us with information that we need. Also, if you e-mail us and do not get response within 3 days, please re-email or call to verify receipt. Sometimes your e-mail can get lost in our spam or junk e-mail folder.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS & PHONE NUMBERS

It is absolutely crucial that you let us know if you have changed your phone number, e-mail or addresses. There have been times in the past where we have had a great deal worked out for our client, but we were not able to get a hold of them and the deal expired. If we cannot get in touch with you at the last numbers and addresses you left us, we will have to stop working on your case and go to court to officially withdraw.
                                        
COPIES OF PAPERWORK AND EVIDENCE

We try to always make copies of all documents brought to our office and give the client back the original. Sometimes, we must have the original to file with the court. We must also sometimes ask you to turn over your own personal items if they are needed as evidence in your case. We try to return these times to you at the end of the case, but we urge you to request to get them back from us at the end of the case just to make sure they don't accidentally go into permanent storage or are discarded with the trash. Remember also to provide us with all necessary documents, pictures, evidentiary material, and a list of witnesses, phone numbers, and addresses as soon as possible so that we may review and organize the materials.

FEES & EXPENSES

We will try to give you the best estimate as to what the attorney's fees and expenses will be in your case. If a case becomes different or more complicated than first anticipated (for example, an uncontested divorce suddenly becomes contested), then we may have to reassess the original payment plan estimate. We generally do not charge for small items like regular copies, binders, etc. However, we do charge for some items like filing fees and courthouse parking.

PAYMENT PLANS

You are expected to keep up with your payment schedule. For example, if you are set up to pay every month, your next payment is due one month from the date you sign the contract. You may mail it in, or drop it off with the Receptionist or one of the Legal Assistants and request a receipt. You may also call in to make a payment by credit card over the phone, or pay online by going to the "Fees" section of the website, using the tab at the of of this page. (Please make sure to pay on time so that we do not have to take time away from actual legal work to deal with collection matters).

If you are not going to be able to make a scheduled payment for some reason, please call in a few days in advance and let us know. We try our best to work with clients who suddenly have an unexpected financial emergency , but if you do not call or show up to explain the situation, we will have to assess a late payment charge. Missing payments is also grounds to withdraw from your case.


COURT APPEARANCES

Please make sure you know where the courthouse is, and exactly how to get there, and where to park before the date of your court appearance. If you are not sure, just ask us and we will be glad to help you with directions. You can also check on the "Directions" section of the webiste for assistance. If you are not prepared, you may end up showing up late. This makes a very bad impression for whatever judge is overseeing your case.

If you are involved in a criminal case, even being a few minutes late could end up with the judge issuing a warrant for your arrest, and having the court bailiff place you in handcuffs in the jury box when you do enter the courtroom. If you are involved in a civil case, the judge may simply dismiss your case, or rule against you automatically. Please do not take that risk.

Unfortunately, there are some rare times when an attorney may be late to court because they have to be in 2 courts at the same time. We will always let you know in advance if we think it is going to happen on your court date. We also call the court coordinator to let them know as well. Every once in awhile, the attorney may get a last minute call from another court and have no advance warning. Please make sure you go inside the courtroom to wait for the attorney. Do not wait outside in the hallway. You need to be inside and stand up when the judge calls your name out, just in case.

Please dress appropriately for court. A man should wear a dress shirt, dress slacks, and a tie if possible. Women need to make sure you do not wear anything too revealing. A nice business suit or dress would be preferred. You must also make sure not to wear a hat or chew gum inside the courtroom. It is OK to bring a friend or family member for support, but if the courtroom is too crowded, the bailiff may instruct that person to wait outside.

A WARNING ABOUT THE LEGAL SYSTEM

Please try to be realistic about your expectations as to what will happen in your case. Although we fight hard for our clients, the legal system is not always 100% fair. That means despite our best efforts, you will not always get everything you deserve out of it. We cannot promise that everything will be perfect when the case is over with.

Also you need to be patient. The court system is overloaded with cases. We can estimate how long it will probably take to resolve your case, but we cannot guarantee it. Every once in awhile, we show up to court ready to present your case, and the courts are so overloaded that they reset our case for another day. This is very frustrating for the client and the attorneys as well.


We will always be straight with our clients and tell them the truth for good or bad. We do not make promises that we know we cannot keep just to make the client temporarily happy. We cannot always predict for sure exactly what a judge or jury is going to do in your case. We will give you our best estimate of the outcome based on our experience, but there are exceptions to every rule. Oftentimes when things don’t turn out as planned, it is because our client has not fully disclosed something about their situation that is damaging to their case. So, please be completely honest about your situation and the facts of your case. If we know the worst, we can prepare for it. If we don’t know, then we can be caught off guard by the other side. Remember: Everything you tell us is confidential.

We will fight as hard as we can to solve your legal problem, but there are some cases that are just plain bad where the chances of winning are slim to none. We want to prepare you for that just in case. We never want to be in the situation where a client is caught off guard by a loss of some kind. If there is a possibility of things going wrong we would rather you know it up front than find out later. Many clients have come to us after a bad experience with other attorneys who promised them something they couldn’t deliver. At the last minute they were suddenly told there was a change in plans and things went bad.

Results often depend upon how much evidence we have to prove your case; whether or not you have anything in your background that could hurt your case; how reasonable the other side is willing to be; and what judge your case is assigned to. Do not assume that each case turns out the same. Friends and family may have told you what happened in their case and what their attorney did, but each case is unique. We will be glad to explain the differences as they relate to your individual circumstances.
             

Usually, things turn out as well as, or better than expected for our clients, because we try to cover all the possibilities, and be fully prepared.


THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING US TO HELP YOU OUT WITH YOUR PROBLEM.

WE WILL FIGHT HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM AND YOUR RIGHTS!