Consultations
FREE Family Law Consultations / Meet Quick Mondays
As a public service to the community – we really do try to be “nice” – we now offer free 15-minute consultations—we refer to them as “Meet Quick Mondays”—regarding family law matters every Monday between the hours of 3:00-6:00 p.m. However, there are limited timeslots available for these “free” consultations and once they are filled, the next “free” consultations will be scheduled for the following Monday(s).
If you have an urgent family law matter, upcoming hearing right around the corner or would like to schedule a consultation at a time that is most convenient for you, we recommend paying the $100 consultation fee and scheduling a date and time that works best for you.
To Recap:
- Via phone only
- 15 minutes with one of our attorneys who is “on call”
- At an available slot between 3:00-6:00 p.m. on Mondays
- On a first-to-call, first-to-schedule basis
- Available time slots may be full for the upcoming week(s)
A Special Word About Consultations For Your Family Law Matter
Our attorneys handle a lot of family law cases. One of the questions that we frequently hear from potential clients who call into our office looking to hire a lawyer is, “Why does your firm charge $100 for an initial consultation with an attorney on a family law matter?”
There is a good reason for it. Family law is the area of law for which we receive the highest volume of calls and for which our attorneys perform the most initial consultations with people in need of legal help. It would be nice – and we take the word “nice” seriously at The Nice Law Firm – if we could just answer a quick question for everyone who calls. But there are just too many family law calls to do so.
Due to the volume of inbound family law calls we receive and the number of scheduled consultations that our attorneys do each week, it became necessary for us to charge potential new family law clients a $100 consultation fee. This is because our attorneys must spend the majority of their time, efforts, and attention each day performing legal work for their current clients—people who have already consulted with them regarding their legal matters and paid them for legal services. Our attorneys take their professional obligations to their clients seriously and always strive to provide the best representation for each of their clients. Given the time that each of our attorneys has available on any given day, along with the volume of calls we handle, charging this nominal initial consultation fee for family law matters became essential. Considering an attorney’s hourly fee is typically $250 to $400 per hour, this $100 fee is fair and reasonable.
In the words of our 16th President:
“A Lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade.”
—– Abraham Lincoln
Our paid consultation gives you 30 minutes of one-on-one time with an attorney to explain the details of your situation and ask any questions that you may have. Our attorneys offer either a “virtual” video meeting or a telephone call scheduled at a time that works best for you. This allows you to meet the attorney and learn a bit about his or her past experience in handling your type of legal matter, and it gives you dedicated time to lay out the facts involved in your situation and ask any questions that you may have.
It bears mentioning that if you pay the $100 consultation fee, and you end up deciding to retain us to represent you, that $100 will be credited toward your initial retainer. In other words, if you are quoted a $1,500 retainer on your case, then you would owe only $1,400 ($1,500 retainer – $100 initial consultation fee credited = $1,400 owed).
To Recap:
- Meeting scheduled at a time that works best for you
- Virtual video meetings, if preferred, or conducted via phone
- 30 minutes of one-on-one time with an attorney
- $100 fee paid will be credited toward your retainer
No matter what kind of case you have, you will have our undivided attention at every meeting, so we can go over the details before forming a plan of action. We will work to develop evidence and find case law to support your position, and then present the best argument on your behalf. We will also always attempt to successfully negotiate a resolution without going to court, if possible.