While The Law Office of Hongwei Shang, LLC specializes in all legal areas in Miami, Florida, here are some generally helpful tips that anyone can use. Remember that not all advice fits every situation, and it is therefore strongly encouraged that you seek the counsel of an experienced attorney like us for more information on all your legal questions.
Why Choose The Law Office of Hongwei Shang, LLC for Your Legal Needs?
At The Law Office of Hongwei Shang, LLP, we believe in the power of careful listening and creating the deepest level of trust with our clients. As a result, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of confidentiality, discretion, and professional conduct, and have built our reputation by constantly exercising the highest level of professional trust and discretion. Our law firm understands you have a choice when selecting an attorney and we want to create an atmosphere that works right for you.
How Do I Prepare for My First Meeting with the Attorney?
Preparing ahead of time for your initial meeting with an attorney is extremely important as it allows the attorney to quickly understand the situation and provide you with straight-forward candid legal advice. Prior to meeting with the attorney, you are strongly encouraged to start making a packet of all important materials and documents related to your case so that you can present them to the attorney and allow her to clearly understand the situation. It often helps if you can put any documents and notes regarding the dispute in some type of topic or helpful sequential order and also bring in a written summary of facts regarding the situation so the attorney can jump right in and give advice to you on the spot. A written summary with key facts and the name of any witnesses, etc. is always extremely helpful, especially when they involve dates and times of meetings and the major occurrence that may make a difference regarding the case. This will often result in large cost savings for you, rather than having the attorney go through and review each and every document word by word, and provides a greater advantage for you as the client when the attorney is able to easily grasp the full situation from the start, creating a win-win for all parties involved. You can feel free to ask us at anytime on how you can save on expenses in your case, as often there are things you can do to cut down some of the processing costs that otherwise would be incurred as an expense from the law firm.
Does The Law Office Offer Any Free Initial Consultations?
We do offer free consultations in most cases. Many attorneys offer free consultations as a way to attract new clients but will offer you little to no practical guidance at your first visit, and other attorneys may have you just meet their paralegal to fill out some forms at a time when actual legal advice is crucial to your legal matter or case. In The Law Office of Hongwei Shang, LLC, we believe that all clients should receive the fullest and utmost attention from their attorney and receive actual legal advice from the very first time you meet and IT IS FREE.
How much should I say?
Be open and honest. Your attorney can only help you only insofar as you help her understand your case. Hiding even the most minor details or information from your lawyer only makes her job that much more difficult, which acts as a detriment to your claim or defense. Your lawyer is there to represent you and therefore needs you to have enough trust in her to divulge everything pertaining to your situation. Your attorney will in most cases ask questions that may seem very personal in nature, or might upset you.
Remember that their only concern is to ensure you come out of the situation with the best result possible; as such, you should answer honestly and not feel defensive when being questioned.
Should I ask questions?
Ask questions and make sure you get answers. Your attorney—skilled, qualified and experienced—should expect you to have many questions about our case, their background, the cost of the proceedings and other aspects of the law. Any lawyer who cannot or will not take the time to answer your questions clearly and openly should not be trusted. You should know exactly what to expect walking into legal proceedings, from lawyer fees to court procedures. Make sure you are comfortable with your attorney and have them explain any confusing legal jargon to your entire satisfaction before deciding to hire her.
What will I be charged for the legal services?
Based on the relative complexity and nature of your matter, you may be billed each month for the time your attorney has spent on the matter (time spent x hourly rate), or in the alternative, you may be quoted a flat-rate fee for the work associated with your matter. All terms of representation will be put down in writing to be signed by you in the form of a written engagement letter that you will have an opportunity to review and sign prior to the commencement of your case. For certain matters, The Law Office of Hongwei Shang, LLC may request upfront payment or a retainer fee prior to the attorney commencing any services, against which all charges and fees for work provided will be applied as the matter advances.