A consultation is where we discuss your matter, determine whether I can help, and identify the information and next steps needed to move forward.
Preparing for Your Consultation
- Identify the legal issue and jurisdiction
- Gather key dates and deadlines
- Organize important documents
- Write down the outcome you are seeking
Before we meet, briefly tell me what your matter involves and identify the people, businesses, or other parties involved. This allows me to check for potential conflicts and have a general understanding of why you are seeking legal help.
You do not need to send me your entire file or explain every detail before the consultation. We can start with the nature of the legal problem, where it stands, and what you are hoping to accomplish.
During Your Consultation
The initial consultation is an opportunity for us to discuss your legal matter in general terms. I will want to understand the type of problem you are facing, the parties involved, where the matter stands, and what you are hoping to accomplish. I can then determine whether the matter is within my practice, whether I am able to represent you, and what the appropriate next step may be.
We generally will not use the initial consultation to examine every document, investigate the facts, or develop a detailed legal strategy. That level of analysis comes after you become a client.
After Your Consultation
At the end of the consultation, we will discuss what comes next. That may be retaining me for a focused legal analysis, moving directly into representation for a defined legal matter, gathering additional information, or deciding that no further work is needed at that time.
If you decide to retain me, I will explain the scope of the work, the applicable fees or retainer, and what I need from you to begin. The attorney-client relationship begins only after we have agreed to the representation and completed the required engagement process.
Legal Analysis: A Next Step
Sometimes you need to understand the legal problem before deciding what to do about it. If I can assist with your matter, you may choose to retain me for a focused legal analysis before deciding whether to proceed with broader representation.
At that stage, you become my client for the agreed scope of the analysis. I can review the relevant documents and facts, research the legal issues when necessary, identify available options, and discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and practical considerations involved. The next step might be a demand letter, negotiation, mediation, filing or defending a lawsuit, preparing an agreement, or deciding that no immediate legal action is warranted.
This allows you to make the larger decision after I have had an opportunity to understand the matter in greater detail.