Do you offer free consultations with an attorney?
For most cases the answer is no. However, that does not mean that you will be billed for contacting our firm. When you contact our firm, our staff will obtain information from you to help our attorneys review your situation. Our attorneys review this information to determine whether we might be able to assist with your type of case and also what type of fee agreement we might offer. We do not charge for this evaluation.
Based on our initial attorney evaluation we do offer representation on a contingency fee basis for some cases, which means that the client pays no attorneys’ fees unless we recover money on that client’s behalf. Our attorneys look at several factors to decide whether we can represent a client on a contingency fee basis.
The main factors we consider are:
- The extent of damages suffered by the potential client.
- Whether liability for the damages by a third party is reasonably clear.
- Whether the third party has the ability to pay a judgment for damages if one is obtained.
- Whether the firm’s workload will allow us to devote the time necessary to represent you.
If your case is one where we are able to provide assistance, but it does not appear to our attorneys that your case qualifies for contingency representation, we will either offer an attorney consultation for a fixed fee or refer you to an attorney referral service such as the El Paso County Bar Association. If you agree to pay for a consultation, we may decide based on the consultation that our firm will represent you on a contingency fee basis, in which case the consultation fee may be refunded.
For our estate planning clients, we offer fixed fees with a few exceptions. Most clients find this pricing advantageous due to its predictability. The fee will depend on your specific circumstances such as the type of estate plan, number of assets, value of the estate, and number of beneficiaries. The attorney will be able to quote a fee at or shortly after the initial consultation.