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41593 Winchester Road, Suite 201 Temecula, California 92590 Phone: (951) 296-9529 Fax: (951) 296-9533 |
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What does "Full Service Law Firm" mean? Full service means consulting, negotiating, drafting and litigating services are available in all jurisdictions where Trujillo & Trujillo practices. You need not change counsel at each stage of your case. In addition, the attorneys of Trujillo & Trujillo have extensive experience in many areas of the law. Consequently, you may come to Trujillo & Trujillo with all your legal needs and will receive prompt competent representation for each. For example, What is the charge for an initial consultation? $80.00 - Probably the best bargain in any law office is the initial consultation. Unlike most legal services the charges, if any, for the initial consultation are not based on any time factor. Whatever time it takes to advise you on your legal matter is usually included in the charge. Most attorneys consider the initial consultation a public relations tool - a means of attracting your future business and they offer free or low cost initial consultations as part of their services. Here at Trujillo & Trujillo we have found that most initial consultations involve only the giving of sound legal advice and answering questions. Often, no additional "legal services" are required. In most cases the answers to the questions you ask, and the advice you receive may save you many dollars and headaches later on. In fairness to other clients we have determined that a nominal charge should be made for the initial consultation on any matter. Our charge for the initial consultation is $80.00. In the event you decide to hire Trujillo & Trujillo to perform additional legal services for you on the matter discussed in the initial consultation the charge is credited against the the total fee for the services performed. Do you give legal advice over the phone? Sometimes we are able to give you a general statement of the law concerning a particular legal problem you have. However, we will not give advice to you concerning your particular problem on the phone. Your needs are unique to you, and proper advice can only be given after your attorney has a chance to properly interview you, review any and all documents, and learn all of the facts about your particular problem. This may mean some inconvenience, however improper advice can lead to problems more serious then the minor inconvenience of taking some time to meet with your attorney. What is a retainer? This is Your Money! - This is your 'deposit' toward the payment of total fees and costs. In the event you retain your attorney at an hourly rate and you deposit more money than is required to pay all fees and costs, you will be charged only for the time and costs actually expended on the matter and any unused retainer will be returned to you at the end of the next billing period. What is a retainer or fee agreement? Any professional relationship with an attorney should have a written contract. The contract should contain a statement of the services being rendered, an hourly rate, and an explanation of possible costs. This document should be signed by both attorney and client. All clients at Trujillo & Trujillo have these retainer/fee agreements. What does it cost to hire an attorney? It depends on what you want your lawyer to do for you! However, before hiring any attorney, you should have an estimate of the costs of his or her representation. You may be quoted a 'flat rate' fee for the services, or an hourly rate. Most 'flat rate' fees are based on the attorney's estimate of the time required to perform a particular service. We have an outline of Fees & Costs which you may review to learn more about fees for the services offered by Trujillo & Trujillo. How will I be billed? Statements are mailed at the end of each month. The statement provides a detailed account of work performed, the hourly rate, the total fees, and the itemized costs. At the bottom of each statement is a reconciliation of the retainer balance, showing the subtraction of the statement balance and the remaining credit, which is money that still belongs to the client. Credit balances, called "retainers", are maintained in a separate bank account containing only client funds. Interest on money in this account is used to fund legal services for the poor and is called Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA). The constitutionality of this interest allocation is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Do I know what is in my file? Clients maintain a mirror image of their pleading and correspondence files. Every paper relating to you is mailed to you. Can I control my legal fees? Yes. Your attorney works at your direction, as your agent. If you intend fees to be limited for a time period or project, let counsel know, and make sure the understanding is in your contract or communicated elsewhere in writing. What if I have a problem with my billing statement? Dissatisfaction should be communicated immediately by e-mail or telephone. There is no charge for time spent discussing your statement. We want you to be completely satisfied. If it is not possible to remedy the situation, legal services may be terminated at any time, with a refund of the remaining cash balance subject to fees or costs due at that time. If you should still be dissatisfied you may seek fee arbitration before the Riverside County Bar Association. Why do I need an attorney? In many states, including California, you are not required to have a lawyer to represent you in any legal proceeding, including probate. You may even write your own will if you want to, without a lawyer. You may also change the transmission in you car - but you need to know what you are doing! Can I represent myself? You can probably do some things on your own behalf. However, if you have not graduated from law school, passed the bar examination and have legal experience, your efforts are likely to be time consuming, frustrating, and less successful than with counsel. If you are that concerned about fees, you can do the work and allow us to supervise, but we must still charge for our time. Caveat: - You should realize that most lawyers spend a great deal of their time in litigation correcting the mistakes created by persons who have chosen to do their own legal work without sound legal advice. Some Court proceedings, (i.e. Small Claims Court) are specifically designed to allow you to appear without an attorney. Sometimes, however, the other party will show up in court with an attorney, and you may be at a disadvantage. Will you prepare documents for parties who want to represent themselves? Yes. Sometimes we are asked to just prepare pleadings for litigants who wish to represent themselves. We do not recommend pro-se litigation, but do prepare necessary pleadings, and try to give helpful advice with the preparation. Do the attorneys of Trujillo & Trujillo return phone calls? Absolutely! Furthermore, clients can reach Trujillo & Trujillo by e-mail, fax, office telephone. E-mail is checked twice a day. Trujillo & Trujillo are attorneys who return their phone calls and all communications are returned as soon as possible. |
