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Can I Consult with an Equine Attorney about My
Legal Matter?
At Equine
Legal Solutions (ELS), we offer initial 30-minute
telephone consultations with
equine
attorney Rachel McCart.
Consultations are only available to residents of
California, Oregon, Washington or New York (or persons
with an equine legal matter concerning one of those
four states). For equine attorneys practicing in other
states and Canada, please see our
equine
attorney directory.
How Do I Schedule a Consultation?
Initial
legal consultations are by appointment only.
Please call us toll free at (866) 385-2972 to schedule
an appointment. Appointments are scheduled on a
first-come, first-served basis.
How Much Does a Consultation Cost?
Initial
30-minute telephone consultations with
equine
attorney Rachel McCart
are $50, payable in advance at the time you schedule
your appointment. For your convenience, ELS accepts
all major credit cards.
If the subject of your consultation is
a customized contract or LLC/corporation formation,
and you engage Equine Legal Solutions to perform that
work for you within 30 days after your
consultation, you will receive a credit for the
consultation fee toward the price of your contract or
entity formation. Please note, however, that the
consultation fee is non-refundable.
What Will My Initial Consultation Include?
Prior to
your appointment, equine attorney Rachel McCart will
review any materials you have provided. During your
30-minute appointment, Rachel will provide you with an
initial assessment of whether you have a viable legal
case, and if so, what your options are for resolving
your matter and how much those options might cost.
Time permitting, Rachel will answer any other
questions you may have pertaining to your case. When
appropriate for your case, Rachel may refer you to an
attorney in a different practice area or geographic
location.
Can I Fax or Email Contracts or Other Information
for My Consultation?
Yes. When
you call to make your appointment, our receptionist
will advise you about what materials, if any, you
should provide to ELS prior to your consultation. To
allow sufficient time for the attorney to review your
materials prior to your consultation, please provide
them at least one business day in advance of your
appointment.
What Information Will I Need to Have Available When
I Call to Schedule the Consultation?
Our
receptionist will ask for the following
information: Your full name and contact information,
the full name of the opposing party (if the matter is
a dispute or potential dispute) and a brief
description of the matter. You must provide us
with all requested information in order to schedule a
consultation. Please expect to spend 5-10 minutes on
the phone. Note that our receptionist is not an
attorney and therefore cannot give legal advice.
Will My Information Be Kept Confidential?
Yes.
The information that you provide our receptionist and
the information that you provide our equine attorney
during the consultation will be kept completely
confidential.
Why Do You Need to Know Who the Other Party Is?
Equine Legal
Solutions is a law firm specializing in equine law.
Because few lawyers have experience in equine law, we
are often contacted by both parties in a matter.
Legal ethics rules prohibit ELS from speaking with
anyone regarding a legal matter where ELS may have a
conflict of interest. Prior to your scheduled
initial consultation, ELS will review your information
to determine whether there is a potential conflict of
interest, and if so, refer you to another attorney.
What Is a Conflict of Interest?
Conflicts of
interest typically occur when one of the parties is
already a client of the firm, or has already contacted
the firm for a consultation on the same matter.
What Happens if the Other Party Has Already
Contacted ELS?
Prior to
your scheduled initial consultation, ELS will review
your information to determine whether there is a
potential conflict of interest, and if so, refer you
to another attorney. In such cases, ELS will cancel
your consultation appointment and refund your
consultation fee. Please note that in order to
maintain client confidentiality, ELS cannot provide
any specific information about any potential conflict
of interest.
What Happens if My Consultation Takes Longer than
30 Minutes?
Because ELS
typically schedules initial consultations
back-to-back, your consultation will be concluded
promptly at the 30-minute mark. If your matter
requires additional attorney time, you will need to
formally engage ELS or another law firm, as
appropriate.
Will My Consultation Be with an Equine Attorney or
a Paralegal?
Your
consultation will be with
Rachel
McCart, an equine attorney.
What Can I Expect During My Consultation?
Our equine
attorney, Rachel McCart, will call you at the
appointment time. To make the most of your
consultation, please try to keep your questions and
descriptions as brief as possible. During the
consultation, we ask that you be reasonably free of
distractions and that you be available to talk when we
call. If there is another person with pertinent
questions about your matter, such as your spouse,
please directly include them in the call rather than
having them ask questions in the background. We
understand that consultations by cell phone are often
necessary, but please try to be in a location where
you have reliable reception. If the consultation
cannot be completed due to poor cell phone reception,
interruptions or other reasons, the call may have to
be terminated.
How Do I Retain Equine Legal Solutions to Help
Me?
Before
taking on new clients, ELS requires an initial
30-minute telephone consultation. If, at the
conclusion of your initial consultation, we believe we
can assist you, we will outline what we believe the
next logical steps are, and provide you with a verbal
estimate of costs. If you decide to retain ELS
to represent you, we will send you an engagement
letter by email, which is our contract with you that
says what ELS will do and how much it will cost.
What Will Legal Representation Cost?
For fixed
fee services, such as customized contracts and
incorporations, ELS requires payment in advance, in
full, before starting work. For all other matters,
Equine Legal Solutions requires a retainer. The
retainer acts as a deposit, and will be credited
toward your legal bills as they come due – it is not a
fee just to hire us. For dispute resolution matters
not in active litigation, and representation in USEF
and other disciplinary matters, ELS requires a minimum
retainer of $5,000. For disputes in active litigation
or arbitration, ELS requires a minimum retainer of
$10,000.
What if Equine Legal Solutions Can’t Help Me?
If, during
the consultation, our equine attorney determines that
Equine Legal Solutions cannot assist you further, we
will try to provide you with a referral to another
attorney. In some cases, ELS may not have an
appropriate referral, and we will provide you with
suggestions for finding a qualified attorney in your
area. For some matters, it may not be
cost-effective to hire an attorney at all, and when we
believe that is the case, we will so advise you, and
try to provide you with suggestions.
If ELS Refers Me to Another Attorney, Will ELS Get
a Referral Fee?
No.
Although referral fees among attorneys are relatively
commonplace, ELS neither accepts nor pays referral
fees.
What Kinds of Cases Does ELS Typically Take?
ELS handles
only
horse related legal matters. We routinely draft
all types of horse related contracts, handle horse
related disputes and provide incorporation services
for horse related businesses. During your
initial consultation, we will determine whether ELS
can assist you with your legal matter and will so
advise you.
Are There Horse Related Matters that ELS Doesn’t
Handle?
Yes.
ELS does not accept the following types of cases:
Criminal defense (e.g., defense of animal cruelty
charges) and personal injury (e.g., people injured by
horses).
What If I Need Follow Up Advice After My
Consultation?
If your
matter requires additional attorney time, you will
need to formally engage ELS or another law firm, as
appropriate.
What If I Need to Reschedule My Consultation?
If you call
at least 24 hours in advance to reschedule your
consultation, we will be happy to reschedule your
consultation at no charge. If you call us less
than 24 hours in advance to reschedule your
consultation, you will be charged an additional $50
fee for the second consultation appointment.
What If I am Late for My Consultation?
If you are
not available when we call at the appointed time, you
may call back within your 30-minute appointment time,
but your consultation will be conducted in the
remaining amount of time available within that 30
minutes. If you call back after the 30-minute
window, ELS will reschedule your consultation and you
will be charged an additional $50 for the second
consultation appointment.
What If I Miss My Consultation?
You are
responsible for being available at the time you
scheduled for your consultation, and at the telephone
number(s) you provided when you made your appointment.
If you do not answer the phone, are out of cell phone
range, have an emergency, or are otherwise
unavailable, you will forfeit your $50 prepaid
consultation fee. If you wish to reschedule your
appointment, you will be charged an additional $50 for
the second consultation appointment.
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