Initial Consultation

What is it?

Your first meeting with one of our lawyers is referred to as a consultation, or initial interview. We need you to tell us the whole story to give you the answers you’re looking for. You have questions for us and we will have questions for you, which cannot be accomplished in a five minute phone call. The consultation is a one-time meeting averaging one to two hours.

What does it cost?

We offer consultations at a flat rate of either $400 or $500 for up to two hours, which includes follow-up questions. Your payment is due before you leave our office and only covers your meeting that day. Although we prefer to meet with you face-to-face (whether in person or by videoconference), we offer prepaid telephone consultations if that is your only option. We accept payments via check, money order, cash or credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa).

When should I call?

You may want a consultation just to gather information; or, you may have been served with or are interested in filing a support, divorce or custody complaint. When you’re ready to talk about your options, please call our office, provide your opponent’s name for a quick conflict check and some dates and times to meet. It generally takes one to two weeks to get an appointment here.

What should I bring?

What to bring depends on the type of case you need our help with. Universally, if something has been filed already or you have a court order, please bring copies of those documents.

Alimony/Spousal Support If you are consulting us about your support issues, we need income information for both you and you partner, information about the cost of medical insurance and any unreimbursed medical expenses, along with any extraordinary expenses.
Child Support If you are consulting us about your child support issues, we need income information about you and the other parent, information about the cost of medical insurance for the child(ren) and any unreimbursed medical expenses, day care expenses, private school tuition and any extraordinary expenses.
Divorce If you are consulting us regarding a divorce or domestic partnership dissolution, we will want to create a list of both your and your partner’s income, assets and liabilities; this will help us to give you more specific information about possible outcomes of your case. For some people, this will involve gathering many documents; others may have this information committed to memory or on a spreadsheet. Current pay information, as well as your most recent tax return, is helpful. We will also ask you about real estate, savings and investment accounts, retirement accounts and pensions, vehicles, life insurance and personal property, as well as any debts, e.g., mortgages, car loans, credit card debt, student loans, personal loans, etc. If you do not know some of this information, that is not a reason to delay scheduling a consultation; it simply means that the information we give you will be more general and less tailored to your individual financial situation.
Protection From Abuse / Domestic Violence If you are in immediate danger, always remember to call 9-1-1.Please bring copies of police reports, medical records and anything else you think corroborates the abuse.

For other types of cases, simply use your judgment about any documents you think might be helpful to us.

When do you officially become my lawyer?

Neither booking nor having a consultation with us makes us your attorney. The initial interview is not only an opportunity to gather information, but is a time for you to determine if you would like to hire us to represent you. You may refer to us as your lawyers once you sign a written engagement letter agreement and pay advanced fees – also known as a retainer – which we will secure in a trust account for you.

If you are not ready to actually hire an attorney or if you decide to hire a different firm, we still maintain a file for you as a potential client so that if you come back to us in the future, we have all the information discussed at your initial consultation.

If you are interested in getting more information about how we can help you. Please complete our Confidential Initial Intake Form.

Getting here:

Please see our Contact Us page for a Google Map, along with public transportation and parking information.