HIRING COUNSEL
Attorneys
An attorney may be hired for a number of different reasons whether you wish to retain legal counsel, a trustee or a consultant.
You may have been injured by a dog bite, a slip and fall or a motor vehicle accident and need help working with insurance companies to collect paid medical and out-of-pocket expenses, lost wages, and for pain and suffering.
The financial stress of a serious injury can be insurmountable. Financial stress is a major factor in breakups leading to divorce. Divorce counsel can help you distribute your assets, help with a parenting plan and with a fair dissolution agreement. If you are already divorced, you may be able to request a modification in your alimony due to a reduction in income as the result of an injury. If you are not married and are separated, you may need a custody agreement for your children.
If you were the cause of a motor vehicle accident, you may have to defend against a criminal charge. That charge may include driving under the influence and a traffic violation. Counsel may be able to get your charges lowered, enter you into a diversionary program or help mitigate the charges against you by explaining factors related to your specific charge.
Whether you are single, married, or divorced, you may have assets you wish to protect for your loved ones. Even if you have no family, you may have a charity or nonprofit you want to help. You may need help planning your estate to determine how to distribute your property. You may wish to give an outright transfer of property, keep a life estate, create a Last Will and Testament or a Trust agreement. We can administrate your Estate with the probate court or even act as your Trustee. If you are an heir at law, we can review the Last Will and Testament and the manner in which it was prepared if you wish to contest a Last Will and the proposed beneficiary.
When you need to purchase, sell or refinance property, we can help you draft the contract for sale, prepare the closing documents, and review your bank documents or a mortgage modification agreement for any transaction. If you wish to create a company or transfer a business as part of the process we can help. If you setup a business and need help to secure or collect on a debt, create a billing and collection process, or need someone to file a cause of action to foreclose on a debt owed, we can do so.
In some instances a Last Will and Testament devised for an individual with an ongoing business will ensure the business continues on after death. This may require administrative filings, a real estate closing, and the probating of the estate. We can help with administrative filings such as an application, permit or request an opinion on how to comply with an ordinance, statute or regulation.
If you are a landlord and your tenant does not pay their rent, you may need counsel to evict the tenant. If the unit is vacant and you need to find a tenant, we can help you screen potential tenants and negotiate the terms of the lease. Some commercial tenants will require a subrogation agreement or certain provisions in the lease. That tenant may wish to purchase the property in the future and you may need to provide a first right of refusal or an option to purchase. Counsel can help explain the terms so you can make an informed decision.
Whether you are a large corporation or a small business that provides goods and/or services and have not been paid, we can help. As attorneys and consultants, we can review your current billing and collection system. We can help protect you from clients who simply do not wish to pay. If, on the other hand, you have a defect in your security agreement or have received an improper bill, we can help defend you against an improper bill in the event you did not receive the services referenced or evaluate the claim and explore all possible defenses. In addition, you could incur interest, fees and costs above the amount you originally agreed to or above the limits set by the State.
Attorneys also help strategize in a consultant capacity by helping to create a new business, billing and collection policies, and advising how to secure debts and obligations. By reviewing your existing contracts and making suggestions to improve or aid in licensing and purchasing agreements, you may get a new prospective with common issues in your field of business.
Deciding on how to move forward when confronted with a difficult situation requires you to think through a problem. Attorneys have been trained to work through a problem and do what is necessary to accomplish your goal or as close to that goal or result as may be possible given the facts.
An attorney will provide advice to help you make an informed decision. We search through similar fact patterns when researching case law and can help explain what happened with an individual in a similar position. In most instances, you will need to make the final decision on how to proceed with a matter and your attorney will describe the process of any given case and provide you with options. Once you make a decision on how to move forward, you will need to give counsel the discretion to achieve that result. Counsel is required to follow rules of conduct and rules regarding procedure, while working to achieve your goal.
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