Legal Services

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. We set up corporations and LLCs, maintain corporate records and advise businesses on legal issues as they arise. We draft, negotiate and review contracts and other legal documents. We handle business sales and acquisitions from start to finish. We negotiate and settle contract and other disputes; and when they cannot be settled by agreement, we will take the claims to court or defend the claims vigorously to the end. We handle personal matters for business owners too, like estate planning, business succession planning and family law matters (like divorces and related matters).

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Most people picture the zealous "trial attorney" who is slick in word and deed and who is as formidable as he is unsettling, both to the opposing party and to you. That picture is a caricature and does not describe 95% of the attorneys in this world. Find someone you can trust, someone who will listen carefully and be candid and forthright, someone who is knowledgeable and reputable. Ask friends and family for a referral. Ask people if they know of the attorney you are considering. Get some feedback. You should understand the basis for the fees that will be charged, but do not let the cost, alone, sway your decision. The adage that "you get what you pay for" applies to attorneys as it does to other things. Find out what kind of service you can expect. You want an attorney who communicates well, is diligent and thoughtful, is conscientious and responsive to your desires and goals, who can educate you on the law in plain English and advise and counsel you on options that are available to meet your desires and goals.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. An attorney's tools of the trade are legal principals (not necessarily memorized laws), the ability to analyze a problem and respond to it, to view things from different angles and to develop a best approach to an issue, the ability to use written and spoken words to communicate, persuade, define and address, and the ability to anticipate problems that most people never think about (until it is too late). There are few ready answers, as there are almost always nuances and differences that need to be considered and which may change the advice given, approach taken or outcome achieved. A client should understand that details are everything. Clients should understand that an attorney can not address what an attorney does not know, good or bad. Holding back information because it is embarrassing or for fear that it may lead to an undesired result is not helpful in the end.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. A client should find out how the attorney operates, what things the attorney will do and what things the attorney will delegate for others to do. A client should ask how often the attorney will communicate and insist on knowing the status of the matter being undertaken promptly as the status changes. A client should ask how an attorney bills and tracks time. A client should ask the attorney for an opinion on the likely outcome of the matter; but more importantly, a client should ask the attorney to be candid about potential problems. Attorneys are not allowed to guaranty a result, but an attorney can express opinions. A good attorney is as cognizant of the weaknesses in a position as well the strengths, and a client should be aware of and understand those weaknesses.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. A client should attempt to learn as much as possible about the matter to be addressed and to engage with the attorney in the process. An educated, sophisticated and engaged client is apt to get more out of the legal representation than one who is not. If there is documentation that is relevant to the matter, gather it up, review it and bring it to the initial meeting. Look the attorney up on the Internet. Find the attorney's website. Learn what you can about the attorney, what kind of experience and background the attorney has, what is the attorney's reputation and involvement in the community. You should have some idea of who you are going to meet with before the initial meeting. That attorney should not be put off that you have educated yourself; that attorney should be thrilled to have such a good client.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. We listen. We build relationships. We do not do everything. We are willing to refer clients to someone else if they can do a better job then we can. We maintain a strong network of other attorneys and professional service providers. We focus on our client's needs and goals, and we aim to meet those needs and achieve those goals, even if that means referring our clients to other people. We know that our clients will come back to us if we did what was right for them. The proof of our ability to deliver quality, professional and strong legal services is that our clients do come back to us, over and again; and they refer other people to us.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. Aside from wanting to support my family, which was a wife and two children at the time I went to law school, I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference in the world. I originally wanted to be a teacher, but life took me in a different direction. As an attorney, however, I am in a position to be an educator every day. Most people do not know the intricacies of the law or how it affects them. I enjoy "teaching" my clients how the law works and how it affects them. I have found that an educated client is a good client. Clients who know the law, and know how it affects them, help me be a better lawyer and to achieve a better results for my clients.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I am constantly learning. That is something I love about the practice of law. The Supreme Court has mandated a certain number of hours of continuing legal education on a periodic basis, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. I receive numerous resources every day and week and month summarizing changes in the law and new ways of looking at or analyzing old problems. I am constantly educating myself and relearning and reviewing areas of the law that impact on the legal work that I do. I do not take my knowledge or understanding for granted; I always am confirming and reconfirming my understanding of the law. The law is always evolving, and it is essential to the service I give my clients that I keep up with that evolution.