Your Initial Consultation

Many people feel some anxiety when visiting an attorney for the first time.

This article will help you by giving you an idea of what to expect. Your initial consultation will be free. (See details below). At that time I will discuss your legal problem with you. Of course, you should bring any information with you that will be helpful to me in understanding your legal problem. I may ask you to fill out an information sheet, which will include the basic information about your case.

Fee Policy

As every legal matter is different, your legal fee will depend on the nature and complexity of your case.  Although I cannot always tell you what your fee will be, I have set forth a fee policy for your convenience, so you will know what type of fee agreement I will set for your type of case.

Fee Agreements and Initial Payments

Initial consultations are FREE for up to one hour. I will gladly talk to you about your case and discuss the kind of fee arrangement I might offer. Please note that if the consultation should take longer, and if you do not sign a fee agreement, you may be billed a nominal fee for the remaining hours of the consultation. After I discuss your legal problem with you, and if I agree to represent you, I will offer you a fee arrangement. If I take your case you MUST sign a WRITTEN FEE AGREEMENT before I begin work for you. In your FEE AGREEMENT, I will set forth an INITIAL PAYMENT, which must be PAID IN FULL before I begin work on your case (except for contingent fee cases). I will accept no direct partial payments on initial fee agreements. Those who wish to pay in installments must charge the entire initial payment on a credit card.

Payment Options

It is my policy to provide my clients with as many payment options as is practical. In return, I ask all clients to conform to the payment policies set forth here. For those who wish to pay cash, several banks with ATMs are available near the law office. I regret that effective immediately, I can accept no personal checks on bankruptcy matters. I will accept personal checks on all other matters; however I will not commence services until the check has cleared. For the convenience of my clients, I gladly accept all major credit and debit cards, including MasterCard®, VISA®, the American Express® Card, and the Discover® Card.   While I personally will NOT accept partial payments on credit card transactions, I strongly recommend credit cards as a form of payment for those who wish to pay in installments if your credit card agreement permits you to do so.  I cannot accept your own credit card as payment for my fee in bankruptcy cases.