Our Areas of Practice
These are the legal bookend of life and death. The will states what a person would like done with his/her assets after they die, and names a person to carry the wishes out. If you have not said how you would like your assets dealt with, state law distributes the property into your family in ways you may not want. That’s why a will is a good idea. Estate law deals with the process of submitting the will for approval by a judge, distributing the assets after the judge approves of the will, and submitting a final accounting once the assets are distributed. Ancillary documents such as healthcare proxies, living wills and powers of attorney are tools with which people control, how their bodies, legal affairs, and medical affairs are handled if they are unable to handle these affairs themselves due to various factors such as illnesses. Most Estate -related legal work is handled on an hourly rate payment agreement (an initial retainer is drawn down at an hourly rate).
When a person is seriously injured, and attorney is sometimes needed to ensure that insurance coverage is properly triggered and paid and/or that responsible parties are brought to justice. The process of making recoveries for injured people is filled with deadlines and pitfalls that, if not understood, often lead to loss of an otherwise valid claim. Where injury has caused a loss of income and/or mobility, the victim is going to need as much assistance as possible. Most personal injury legal work is handled on a contingent fee agreement, meaning that the lawyer takes his/her fee as a percentage of the amount recovered by the client.
Routine traffic tickets are “violations,” which are social / legal offenses that are not considered to be criminal. Some of these types of offenses are serious enough to be classified as “misdemeanors,” which is lowest level of crime (punishable by up to a year in jail, but that penalty is not usually applied). “Felonies” are all of the more serious crimes punishable by over a year in jail. Whether you are charged with a violation, a misdemeanor or a felony, you most likely need some damage control. Most violations are handled on a flat fee while the more serious offenses usually start with a retainer drawn down at an hourly rate
Bankruptcy relieves people and some businesses of debt situations that they will never realistically be able to pay off. There are many types of bankruptcy: Chapter 7 is designed mostly for individuals with a high amount of unsecured dent (debt with no collateral like credit cards); Chapter 13 (involving a court monitored paydown plan) is usually used to deal with high debt in combination with the danger of losing a house though foreclosure; Chapter 11 is used to reorganize business to allow troubled companies to survive. Sometimes, when a business is in deep trouble, it is advisable to have a lawyer overses the shutdown (wind-down) of operations and the handling of assets (outside of bankruptcy). I have handled many, many bankruptcies in two states. These matters are usually paid on a flat fee based on the complexity of the case.
Usually a happy event! The process of buying or selling a home is (broadly speaking) a simple process of passing title to the new owner, adjusting the expenses of ownership to the day of transfer, adjusting all of the related numbers (Taxes, Utilities, Insurance, etc.), and filing all of the proper paperwork with the County in aquestion to make it all legal official. It is truly best to have an experienced law office handle the work as there are many deadlines and details that, if missed, can create expensive legal complications. A lawyer should be used. Flat fees are the norm for this type of work.
This is mainly Divorces and Child Support/Custody, but it overlaps with criminal law if there violence in the home. These types of matters can be heartbreaking and very emotional, so a lawyer is recommended because (for example) a parent needs in the middle of a divorce or a custody dispute is to try and figure his/her way though the thicket of law without assistance. Most domestic legal work is handled on an hourly rate payment agreement (an initial retainer is drawn down at an hourly rate).