What to Expect From Your Legal Consultation
Welcome to Sapphire Law Group. We want your legal consultation to be as helpful and productive as possible. This information will help you prepare and understand what to expect. We also know that meeting with an attorney or even just new situations can be intimidating and stressful for many. We want you to have as much information about your appointment as possible, in advance, so that we can focus on providing you with answers and guidance during our appointment. This works best when you are prepared and at ease.
What Will Happen Before my Appointment?
You will receive a confirmation email from us after booking your appointment confirming the date and time of your appointment, as well as directions to our office or for your telephone or video conference login information. You will also receive a Consultation Agreement to sign by electronic signature as well as any notices about building access. We will also send you a secure link to pay your retainer by credit card or electronic check. If you are not comfortable paying online, you may call our receptionist and she would be happy to handle this over the phone for you.
Write Down Your Questions in Advance
The most productive consultations happen when you come prepared with written questions, and write down the answers during your appointment. We will have paper and pens, and will often provide you with additional handouts or materials during your meeting. We also often provide you with recommendations for other professionals, such as CPAs, insurance advisors, real estate brokers, financial advisors and others. We can give you all of this information and the tools to write it down during your appointment. We cannot, however, write down your questions in advance for you. It might be just so that you do not forget to ask everything that you wanted to, but more often the process of writing down questions will actually allow you to think critically about the problem that you are facing and result in far more thoughtful questions and discussions with your attorney. Remember, this is your consultation. It is confidential and we are here to help you.
Bringing Someone with You
You may bring someone with you, if you wish. It may be a spouse, a friend, an adult child or a trusted advisor. Many people feel better having someone there for support, to help ask questions and as a second set of ears. We understand this and encourage it if it makes you feel more comfortable. We also welcome minor children and can accommodate this better if you let us know in advance. However, there are a few things that we want you to know about bringing someone with you. First, a third party being present means that there is no attorney client privilege (there is still a duty of confidentiality, but if asked in court to recount our discussion having a third party there means we cannot keep our discussion a secret). You can expect us to explain this again at the beginning of our appointment. Also, you can expect that we will ask questions about how this person is related to you and if it seems that you are uncomfortable with any topic of discussion because of their presence, we may ask them to step out of the room. We will also explain this at the beginning of your appointment.
What Will it Cost?
With the exception of estate planning, Sapphire Law Group charges by the hour for all consultations. Similar to the doctor, our legal expertise will be used to evaluate and diagnose your legal issue, answer your questions and provide you with an opinion of what needs to be done as well as one or more options for moving forward. This is usually the most valuable part of retaining a lawyer, and the part that you really need to be right. We are taking our decades of education and legal experience to provide you with legal counseling and guidance. Many consultations conclude with the client having received a referral or two, handouts with important information and a plan for moving forward. Consultations often result in resolution of the client's concerns altogether. It is often said in the legal world that you are not paying for an hour of our time, you are paying for the many years of education, training and experience that we have received leading up to the moment that we meet with you. The attorneys and staff at Sapphire Law Group take this very seriously, and have had some of the best education, and continuing education, as any lawyers in our field.
When is Payment Due, and Will There be Additional Charges?
When you book your appointment, our receptionist will assist you in selecting a 30-minute or 60-minute consultation. Payment is required at the time of booking to reserve your appointment and will be earned at the end of your consultation. If you cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance, the fees will be returned to you or applied to your rescheduled appointment. You will receive a Consultation Agreement by DocuSign in advance of your appointment describing the charges and terms of payment. During your appointment, your attorney will provide recommendations and clearly describe any further fees for additional work. You will sign a separate written fee agreement for any additional work. We promise, there will not be any surprises.
What Happens After my Appointment?
After your appointment, you will receive an email summarizing your appointment and providing you with any promised information or documentation. If there is further follow up agreed upon by you and your attorney, this will be summarized in your follow up email. If there is further legal work to be done (for example, a letter written on your behalf), you will receive a separate agreement to sign authorizing us to proceed with that work. If you have any questions following your appointment, either about the same matter or a different one, please contact us. We hope to be your trusted legal counsel for years to come.