Seeking Legal Services.

I would be happy to discuss this issue with you. Please feel free to contact me at the telephone number on my profile.

thanks,

Chris

Hi, Tara,

We'd also be happy to talk with you if you're still looking for legal help. You can call me at 206.852.9067 or e-mail me through Biznik.

Best wishes getting this figured out!

Valerie

Tara:

Its lawyers like that that give the rest of us a bad name. Lawyers have an ethical duty to act in a timely basis to get your work done. And, if none of the work was completed, you should get a total refund.

I see there are two very competant lawyers who have already offered their assistance but, as consumers in general, all business people should shop for lawyers as they shop for any other purchase. There are several things I consider before buying anything:

(1) Do I Love It? The client/attorney relationship is a relationship; I often compare it to a marraige. If you get an uh-oh feeling when meeting your lawyer, run the other way.

(2) Can they do the work? ask the potential lawyer the turn around time to complete your work. For small to mid sized bisiness tranctional work such as entity formation or contract review, most lawyers should be ale to turn the work over for you fairly quickly.

(3) Compare fees. You wouldn't just go out and buy the first car you saw without comparing fees; why would you do so with lawyers? Some things to consider here:

(a) name brand costs more than not name brand but, not name brands can offer equivalent quality;

(b) what are you paying for and what do you want to pay for? Do you want to pay for a fancy office and a large staff?

(c) look at what you are being charged for? The rules of Ethics require an attorney to outline exactly what you will be charged for. Some office charge money for things like "opening a file" (another story);

(d) do you need work done that is specialized? You will pay the attorney a bit of more for such work. But, you will get someone who knows what he/she is doing an avoid more costs in the future. (don't be penny wise, pond foolish)

(4) does the firm or attorney have the same values you do? For example, I love to go into a place where everyone knows me and greats me by my first name. I prefer to frequent a business where the employees are treated well and I can tell; I prefer to go to a business that is green. I prefer to deal with a business that cares about me.

I am sure others can add more to my list. Please feel free to contact me regarding how to find the right lawyer.

P.

Tara,

Is the shirt in your profile pic an example of your work?

We lawyers might be highjacking your post, if we are, I'm sorry. If I read your post correctly it's not a lawyer you are having a problem with it's the SEO optimization people.

Nevertheless, Priya raises excellent points. And, it's because we've heard the same type of story in our practices all too often about other lawyers. In the past, the legal industry has been fairly successful despite what seems to be very widespread practices that don't provide good customer service. I've experienced the same, even recently. Yes, our family has more than one ongoing business relationship with a lawyer.

It's not that there isn't a lot of competition out there for legal work. But, Priya identified a key element of the client lawyer relationship, because of the dollar amounts involved, the often highly technical nature of the work, and the long time frame some legal issues take to play out, you'd better make sure that the lawyer and his or her staff are people you want to work with over a period of years.

Unlike other types of services, legal work has not been successfully "commodified," yet in spite of the trend towards legal outsourcing.

What is the web site URL? I would like to see it. Dawn