San Fernando Valley Divorce Attorneys – (818) 435-3773
Choosing what family law attorney should help you with your case or dispute is a difficult decision — and an important one. Whether you have been referred to our firm by a lawyer you trust, by one of our former clients, or by another professional, we will still need to determine whether our firm is in the position to best represent your interests.
To effectively represent you, we must be able to work as a compatible team. We want you to obtain the best lawyer for your particular situation, even if that means that lawyer is not someone from our team. In addition, we will never take a case if we are too busy with other matters to give your case the attention it deserves.
The Initial Consultation
Before meeting with us, an attorney, usually Mr. Seidel, will personally speak with you to obtain information about your case, and to initially determine whether our firm and your needs are a good match. If we do decide to work together, a fee agreement — also called a retainer agreement — must formalize our professional relationship and detail each of our obligations and expectations during the course of your case. The retainer agreement is required by the Business and Professions Code in most situations.
We do not provide free consultations to inquiring parties, and there are a number of reasons to explain why. Firstly, our time is limited. We want to devote as much of it as possible to assisting our existing clients. Secondly, usually the initial intake phone call serves the same function as a free consultation, which is why Mr. Seidel usually handles these calls. Lastly, there is a strategic reason not to allow free consultations. Savvy litigants often meet with numerous attorneys, purposely creating a conflict of interest with the opposing party. If we have a meaningful conversation with one side of a dispute, we cannot represent the other party thereafter.
We do provide consultations for individuals who are genuinely in need of legal advice, but who do not necessarily want to retain us. For these individuals, we charge an hourly rate and provide meaningful advice on a limited-scope basis. We have ruefully observed the results of free consultations for clients who have come to us after receiving "free" advice elsewhere. After all, nothing is truly free, and this “advice” ended up costing those people dearly.
Would you like to know more about becoming a family law client of Joel S. Seidel & Associates in the San Fernando Valley? Do you have questions about our family law services? You can call (818) 435-3773, or fill out an online contact formand someone from our team will get back to you as soon as possible.