FAQ

No. First time potential clients or first time former clients calling on a new matter will not be charged for the initial call. One of our trained non-attorney staff professionals at Schroeder Law Offices with conduct a brief screening interview on the phone at no charge.

During the Screening Interview, our trained staff will LISTEN to you, and may ask questions to clarify (1) who the parties are that are involved with your issue(s) so that Schroeder Law Offices may determine if there are any conflicts that would preclude one of our attorneys from representing you; and, (2) the issue(s) involved.

To determine conflicts during the Screening Interview, our staff will need to know your full name and the names of any parties you are working with, along with your address, and a description of the property at issue, as well as names and addresses of any person(s) whom oppose you. We may also need legal descriptions of the property at issue, as well as stream or water sources names and locations. After our call with you, we will run the provided names through our computer conflict program.

If no conflicts are immediately apparent, our staff will proceed to listen to a brief description of the problem you are experiencing as well as any deadlines that you know that may apply. Our staff may choose to run the conflict analysis and call you back to schedule a call with a Schroeder Law Office attorney. Depending upon the issue presented, our staff may recommend that you collect and forward certain information to Schroeder Law Offices before an attorney is scheduled to talk with you. Information requested may include a recommendation that you obtain or have our office obtain copies of your water rights files for a flat fee of $425.00.

Yes. However, the extent of information that you provide before you talk to the attorney will have a direct relationship to the quality of the conference input you receive from the attorney.

Yes. From the first time you call, Schroeder Law Offices keeps your name and all information confidential within the office unless you give us permission to share the information. Attorneys are required, by their license, to keep confidences and all who work at Schroeder Law Offices are required to sign confidentiality agreements.

Within 24 hours after the Screening Interview, attorney Laura Schroeder or Therese Ure will review the conflict determination and information obtained relating to your issue and confirm that no conflict exists. Once the conflict determination is resolved, attorney Schroeder or attorney Ure will assign an attorney in the office with the most relevant experience to conduct a Potential Client Conference (PCC). After these determinations our staff will call you to make a telephone appointment with you and the assigned attorney for the PCC.

Yes, subject to attorney availability.

If Schroeder Law Offices has a conflict, our staff will inform you that a conflict exists and, where possible, refer you to an attorney who may be able to help you.

Generally, you will not be charged. Depending on the circumstance, if it appears your legal question can easily be answered during the PCC, we may ask you to pay a flat fee for the call. You will be informed prior to any PCC if asked to pay.

While PCCs are ideally in person at either our Portland or Reno office, the attorney and paralegal assigned to your PCC may conduct the PCC by phone as circumstances warrant. However, depending on the issues involved, the attorney may decide that a particular PCC should be accomplished in person or at the property site.

The attorney generally limits their time on the PCC to one hour; however, if circumstances warrant, the PCC may be longer to allow the attorney full understanding of the initial situation.

The goal of the PCC is:
(1) For you to decide if you would like to work with an attorney at Schroeder Law Offices;
(2) For the attorney to decide if they can effectively represent you;
(3) For the attorney to obtain an initial understanding of your issue; and
(4) For you and the attorney to work together to determine an initial strategy to resolve the issue you present.

After the Potential Client Conference (PCC) with the attorney, the attorney and paralegal at Schroeder Law Offices will write up a Potential Client Summary Letter (PCSL) that will outline and highlight the initial strategy that was discussed. If we can assist you further, we will provide a fee schedule and agreement for you to consider.

In most cases, no. Schroeder Law Offices does not charge for the PCSL except in certain circumstances discussed in advance; however, if during the PCC/PCSL process the attorney determines that you have an issue that might be resolved through the employment of an attorney at Schroeder Law Offices, a proposed fee agreement will be included as an attachment to the PCSL.

No. You are under no obligation to choose Schroeder Law Offices. The proposed fee agreement enclosed with the PCSL will have an expiration date. If on or after the expiration date you are still interested in hiring Schroeder Law Offices, we encourage you to contact our Firm Administrator to obtain either an extension, or a new fee agreement.

Unfortunately, attorneys’ ethical obligations require us to have clear procedures in place regarding client relationships. Thus, once the initial summary letter process is completed, the attorneys are discouraged from further conversations on the same issue with you until Schroeder Law Offices is retained to represent you.

Receive and return an executed fee agreement with any required fee or retainer.

If you are a former or current client at Schroeder Law Offices that has maintained an exceptional payment history, likely no retainer will be required. New clients without a payment history with Schroeder Law Offices are usually required to deposit a retainer in the amount of three to five thousand dollars.

Hourly rates are set based upon the experience of the attorney and team members assigned to work with you and the market hourly rate for the type of work involved. While Schroeder Law Offices intends to run its business responsibly so as to be profitable, profit margins are set with the goal of providing client service at a reasonable cost.

Yes. Schroeder Law Offices routinely offers flat fee arrangements that can be offered for portions or all of the work required. A clear understanding as to the scope of work and client expectations is required prior to offering a flat fee arrangement.

Generally, no. However, in cases where you and Schroeder Law Offices agree that the damage recovery will sufficiently compensate you and Schroeder Law Offices for the effort required for a successful settlement or verdict, a contingency may be considered.