Frequently Asked Questions

During your initial consultation, we will ask you questions about your case and give you our best assessment of all your options and the estimated costs. We do not give legal advice at an initial consultation. If you are seeking specific legal advice, you can request to consult with one of our attorneys at his or her usual hourly rate.

We accept cash, eCheck, debit cards, and credit cards. Debit and credit card payments will incur an additional 2% surcharge.

If the initial trust deposit needs to be replenished to cover additional fees and costs incurred, you may request a specific payment amount and schedule that works for you.

Your initial retainer payment will be deposited into a special account called an "IOLTA" trust account. An IOLTA pools funds from multiple clients and the interest earned is transferred to a fund that benefits nonprofit legal service organizations throughout California to increase access to justice for individuals and families living in poverty and to improve our justice system. When the firm expects to hold a large sum of money for a client or must keep client funds in trust for a long time, we will open a separate client trust account to ensure that the interest earned will go to the client.

We communicate with clients about their cases by text, email, phone, and using secure messages within our client app. It is important to tell your attorney the best way to reach you and how often you would like to receive updates about your case.

The best way to communicate confidentially with your attorney about your case is to use our secure client portal to exchange messages and share documents. Your login email is the email you used to complete the intake process. If you also provided us with a cell phone number, you can send text messages to the legal team at 833-958-7307. For a live discussion about your case, we recommend calling the office at 619-567-6845 to schedule a phone or office conference with your attorney.

Reading and responding to emails and text messages takes time and so these tasks are billed at our hourly rates in 1/10th of an hour increments (6 min). However, you will not be charged for emails or text messages for the sole purpose of sharing files or providing information.

It depends. Your attorney will let you know at the time the hearing is scheduled whether or not your presence is required. Clients should not attend routine hearings unless specifically requested. If your case goes to trial, you will have plenty of advance notice and time to prepare. Many appearances can be done virtually using Microsoft Teams.

Family law cases can take a year or more to reach final judgment. Probate cases can take anywhere from six months to two years on average. The length depends on many factors that are not within our control, such as the court's calendar, whether a settlement is reached, how much discovery is required, and the local court procedure.

If you have incurred legal fees or expenses, your invoice will be emailed to you approximately every two weeks around the 10th and 25th of each month. Payment will be applied from your retainer before you receive the invoice. Please be sure to review the charges right away and contact us if you disagree with any item on the bill.