Consultation and Costs
A phone consultation is an evaluation of your case. We set aside time for one of our attorneys to review your case, speak with you regarding the legal issues involved and the process, and discuss strategies that maybe used in your case. Consultations span a maximum of 30 minutes and are usually done over the phone. The cost for a consultation is $150, which is paid with a credit card over the phone prior to the consultation. That consultation fee will be applied to the case if we proceed in representing you.
Why do we charge for consultation: Our firm is a national law firm helping clients from across the U.S. with their Puerto Rico legal needs. We have attorneys licensed in Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut and New York. We have been helping clients in Puerto Rico since 2008. We have many clients that need our time and our help. Unlike carpenters and home contractors who work with wood, we work with time, that is our resource. With our time we provide for our families and loved ones and pay our bills just like everyone else. Because our time is in short supply, we have to charge for the consultation. The time we spend discussing the case with you is time we cannot devote to our existing clients. We are professionals and our time is valuable. We are also mindful that the time must be of value to you too. That is why we will apply the fee to your case if we proceed representing you. At least, if we do not work together, after the consultation you will have a deeper understanding of your case, its legal implications and ramifications, as well as the possible strategies that are available to you, which is value as well.
Attorney Client RelationshipThe phone consultation does not signify that our firm represents you. The consultation does not create an attorney client relationship. For our firm to represent you, we would need to have a mutual understanding that we want to work together. That understanding is exclusively contained in a retainer agreement. The retainer agreement is a contract that will list specifically the work that we will do, will contain information about the attorney client relationship and has to be signed by both the client and the law firm. After signing the document, the client must deposit an agreed upon sum for our firm to start working on the case, at which point we become your attorneys.
How to Set up a Consultation with one of our Puerto Rico LawyersPlease be ready with your calendar to set aside a date that is mutually beneficial for us and yourself. Also, please have a brief description of the type of case (Family law/ Divorce/ Child Custody, Puerto Rico property issue or inheritance law issue) and please tell us if there is a case filed in any court and there are running deadlines involved in the matter.
For a consultation call us at (800) 541-4542 or email us at info@zspalaw.com.