What to expect when you call a law firm
Schroeder Law Offices understands it can be a bit intimidating to contact a law firm when you
encounter a problem you cannot solve alone. You are not alone: Schroeder Law receives multiple
initial potential client calls every day, and our goal is to listen, understand, and meet your goal to
solve a problem in a cost effective and professional manner.
Unfortunately due to liability, attorneys cannot give legal advice on your initial, first-time call. While
it can be frustrating not to receive an immediate answer to what you may presume is a “quick legal
question,” attorneys can only provide answers after conflicts are checked by running them through a
system check and the client as well as the general issue are approved to be addressed by the firm.
All information requested of potential clients on the initial call is necessary in order to provide the
best and most ethical advice and counsel possible.
When you call Schroeder Law Offices, your call is directed to an experienced member of our staff
who will collect basic information and listen to the reason for your call. Below is a short list of the
kinds of questions our staff will ask in order to determine what kind of legal assistance you need and
if there are any potential conflicts that our office may encounter:
1. What is your contact info (phone number, email, mailing address)?
2. Where is the property at issue located? (we prefer lot descriptions)
3. What is the reason you are seeking legal help? (legal issue or goal for the representation)
4. What are the names or the people or companies and their attorneys (if you know them) that are
involved?
5. Who is or might be opposed to what you are trying to accomplish?
6. Are there any immediate deadlines that you are facing?
Once we obtain the relevant information, we will run a conflict of interest check through our digital
file system to ensure that any opposing parties are not current or previous clients, confirm that
current or previous clients do not own or lease property near the property of concern, there is not a
present deadline that our firm cannot meet, or involve an issue that requires expertise other than
what the firm may collectively lend its experience in addressing.
After we confirm there is no conflict, we pass the information to an attorney to review and help with
next steps. Based on the next steps that our attorney advises, we will call or email you. The
response may be to offer you an initial attorney call at a flat fee, hourly fee or refer you to another
attorney or organization better suited for your needs. If a flat or hourly fee is involved, and you are
interested in proceeding, a proposed fee agreement will be emailed to you.
Upon receipt of the flat or hourly fee agreement, we schedule an initial client conference between
you and an attorney to understand your issue more fully, provide preliminary recommendations for
moving forward, and legal advice in summary. Following the initial client conference, you will
receive a summary letter of any recommendations or advice provided in the conference. The
summary letter may also include a further contract for legal services with the scope of work tailored
to fit your preferred course of action given the recommendations provided.
This process can take anywhere from twenty four hours to one week after conflicts are cleared.
However, we understand how important the issues you call our office about are to you and we strive
to work as quickly as possible to better serve you, the client!
If you are seeking an experienced Water Law attorney, you can call our office at:
Portland: 503-281-4100
Reno: 775-786-8800