Taking Steps to Secure Counsel

If you are thinking about consulting with an attorney, here are some tips to help you present your matter to an attorney in an initial consult.

First, seek advice quickly when you are experiencing what you believe to be a legal problem.

An attorney will offer valuable insight into evolving situations, as well as guidance about documenting certain problems. An attorney can also help you prepare records that may later strengthen your legal claim. There is no substitute for receiving sound legal advice early on.

In order for an attorney to better advise you, it is imperative that you share all the facts and that you do not sugarcoat or omit information. It is imperative that you provide a full context for what is occurring, otherwise, an attorney cannot properly assess the situation.

An attorney will be able to assess whether there may be a good faith basis for a claim, based on the facts presented. Of course, not all situations will give rise to a legal claim. Indeed, there may be times when you are confronted with a very unpleasant set of circumstances but no legal claims is present. It is important to know whether you do or you do not have a basis for a claim.

The usual process for engaging the Law Office of Ruth Ann Azeredo, LLC is to agree to the terms by which we are offering to represent you. If we believe your matter is a matter we want to assist you with, we will send you an Engagement Agreement for you to review and sign. In addition, we will provide you a copy of our Rules of the Road for you to read and sign.

There may be times that representation is limited to providing an assessment on your claims. For instance, many times we are approached by potential clients who have already been involved in administrative processes or other litigation. In order to determine what claims you may have and whether we would be willing to assist you in proceeding with those claims, we may need to do an in depth assessment of your matter. That role, in and of itself, would require you to engage us. 

In most instances, we will require an evergreen retainer along with signed copies of the Engagement Agreement and the Rules of the Road. What the retainer will be is dependent on the
matter.

Fees will be discussed with the potential client and will be reflected in the Engagement Agreement.