Home > About TSF > Client Wish List (FAQs)

This office is not about hype. You have legal issues and you need them resolved. As a result, reading a unilateral, promotional statement as to what we are capable of can only get you so far. Instead, what we have chosen to do is capture "typical" client questions and concerns and pose them directly to us. Here is how we responded (this is a dramatization):

Client:

I don't know what it is, but I'm just not comfortable talking to lawyers about the details. Can we skip this stuff?

TSF:

No way. This relationship is a function of our ability to communicate, and if we can't, we're in big trouble from the get-go. Pardon the expression, but we're all grown-ups. While you might find these issues difficult, business is difficult, too. You better find us, or any other attorney you choose, easy to work with or you've got bigger problems than finding an attorney for your business.

Client:

OK, well, I'm looking for a good attorney. What makes you good?

TSF:

We are very confident in our qualifications and will be glad to provide you with a list of representative clients and contacts who can share their experiences with us. The longer answer (and attorneys always have longer answers) is that whether any attorney is "good" or not depends upon you and your business. It's not lost on us that attorneys are expensive. If you don't want one, then don't hire one-you will always be angry for having to pay for it. An attorney who you are angry with is not a "good" attorney. The beauty of a business lawyer, however, is that you can avoid a lot of costly mistakes by talking to someone before the mistake is made. We see this time and time again. Putting together an employee policy costs money, but it typically is less than any lawsuit that hits in the absence of that policy. In every sense, it is a form of "business insurance." The question becomes what "premium" you want to pay to avoid the risk you are targeting. If you would like a legal resource, it certainly warrants interviewing many attorneys, looking for referrals and finding a firm you're comfortable with. Then, start them out with very small, budgeted projects. If the relationship works and makes business sense, great! If it doesn't, you should try again, and if it fails time and time again, well, maybe you don't want an attorney after all. We use the term "want" on purpose, however. Knowing the laws that affect business, there are very few people in business who cannot benefit from, and in that sense, don't "need" a lawyer.

Client:

Yeah, well, my business is not IBM, and I don't need "IBM service." Why should I retain you, or any other firm for my business?

TSF:

That choice is ultimately yours. More important, though, is not to be intimidated by being a business smaller than IBM. You do not operate your business with a cookie cutter, and your lawyer shouldn't either. We are not a monster law firm. If you want to sue the entire continent of Antarctica, we are not the lawyers for you. We recognize that every business is very different, and we alert you that every lawyer is very different. What we bring to the table is a focus on communication and flexibility. We have clients that consult with us several times a day, and at the other extreme, other clients we hear from only every three or four years. As long as you're doing the things you need to do (such as if you are a corporation, you're holding annual meetings), you don't have to use us at all. If you want us to take greater responsibility and become a larger part of your business, we'll do it. That's the flexibility prong.

The communication prong of this is that we need to be clear at all times with what you want us to do. The last thing you want is to be billed by our firm for doing something you didn't want us to do. The last thing we want is for you to be angry because we didn't do something you wanted us to do. You will find that we are very detailed as to specific projects which you assign us. If you want to hold us accountable for everything, that's OK, but understand that will require a lot of time and will be expensive.

Client:

Well, now that we are on the subject of money, lawyers are so expensive. I hate talking about this stuff, what's your approach to legal fees?

TSF:

Our attorneys' hourly rates range from $190.00-$275.00 per hour, and our legal staff members are billed out between $65.00 and $85.00 per hour. However, our office understands that the varied issues facing business requires flexibility. As a result, alternative fee-billing arrangements are also available, such as project, or "task" billing, retainer arrangements and in select circumstances, contingency agreements. Flexibility and communication are wonderful things. We are always receptive to adjusting to the particular needs of a business, but at the same time, we look to clients to address the needs of our business as well. If both are satisfied, we truly believe that the number of possible fee structures is endless.

Client:

That's all well and good, but that fact is, I am really tired of getting a bill at the end of the month and not knowing what the heck I'm paying for. How can I hold you accountable?

TSF:

Our firm has extremely detailed, segregated billing statements. One might find a law firm that provides as much detail, but we think it unlikely that one could find greater detail.

Client:

My last lawyer really irritated me because he was so hard to reach. I would call him five times about five issues, and by the time he got back, I forgot what the first four issues were. What's up with that?

TSF:

There is no greater priority assigned to any element of our practice than communication. We believe our accessibility plan works well. We return all calls within 24 hours in the ordinary course. If the matter is more immediate, we are always accessible through this office, and by always, we mean 24 hours a day, by way of mobile phone. That phone uses digital technology for client security. Indeed, we release those numbers directly to a client where the urgency of the circumstances so require.

Client:

Well, that's all I can think of right now, but I know I have other things I need to find out about you.

TSF:

And that's OK. Again, we strive to be accessible and communicative. There are many questions that arise over the course of an attorney-client relationship, and we are receptive and respond to them all. We have questions for you, too-it goes both ways. This is a practice where we truly care about our clients; it is therefore important that we limit our practice to clients we care about. This relationship is extremely important, perhaps the most important of a given business. With our firm or any other attorney, you must be completely satisfied. Certainly, the objective of this practice is to do so, we enjoy doing so, and we wholeheartedly believe we achieve that every day.