CONSULTATION AND PLANNING SESSION

We offer a free 15 min introduction call to potential clients. 

Most people, however, who want my advice and legal help have many questions and may need more than 15 minutes on the phone.  To best introduce you to the way I and my team work, as well as to answer your legal questions and start working toward your legal goals, I offer a 45 min consultation and planning session (aka limited scope consulting) via Zoom. 

We will spend 45 minutes face-to-face in a meeting and the firm will spend 15 minutes reviewing your case and the information you submit to our office prior to the consultation.  If you feel you need more time with our firm, please contact our office to schedule a longer meeting. We offer planning sessions up to 3 hours in duration.

What to Expect at the Consultation and Planning Session

During our time together, we may discuss any of the following:

1. Why you need my help, what your major concerns are, and what outcomes you are hoping to achieve.
2. Although I do accept engagements that parties might initially feel require adversarial court litigation, over 90% of my clients are able to reach satisfactory settlements and never see the inside of a courtroom. I will discuss the various lawyering roles I offer to achieve this result.
3. The roles of my team and how they can help you reach your legal goals and communicate frequently with you.
4. The tools we use unique to our family law firm that help you understand your case and the status of your case.
5. How out of court settlements become binding and enforceable.
6. How final agreements get drafted and filed with the court.
7. How your finances and other details of your life can remain confidential.
8. How to minimize your legal fees and how they are estimated.
9. Specific questions you have about your situation (aka limited scope consulting) and legal advice for how to address those questions.
10. The next steps and timing for starting our work together (which requires a signed contract and the payment of a flat fee or retainer.)

We look forward to scheduling your meeting and learning more about you and your legal goals.  Please feel free to contact us to schedule or learn more at (630) 891-2478. All inquiries are held confidential.

Fee for this Legal Service

The cost for this legal service is $350.00 per hour which can be paid by credit card or ClientCredit + Affirm to confirm your appointment. Upon scheduling, our office will send you a payment link via email and the payment link is also available here. Once the payment is processed and confirmed by our firm, and our requested e-forms are completed by you, our office will share the Zoom details with you. 

Our friendly staff members are also available to help you with Zoom or payment prior to the meeting.  Karen would be happy to spend 15 minutes performing a test Zoom call and you can find more information about Zoom here.

**Please note all timelines and anticipated outcomes discussed during this meeting are estimates and not guarantees. Many things ultimately effect and influence the timing and costs associated with a family matter (emotions, illness, document delays, expert needs or delays, holidays, lack of cooperation, local court rules, court procedures, etc.). Your fees may exceed any quoted retainer and clients should be prepared to budget for approximately 4 hours or more per month to adequately finish their case. Any attorney that fails to provide you with this information or fails to provide you with an estimate for legal services or an estimate for mediation services either lacks experience in family law or is willfully not being transparent about the true costs associated with a client's legal or mediation goals. We will always keep you updated on your services and budget with monthly itemized invoices through our secure client portal.

Contact Us Today

If you are contemplating a separation or divorce, or you are unhappy with your current divorce attorney or mediator, contact us today to schedule your consultation and planning session at (630) 891-2478.