So you have an appointment with an attorney? You may wonder what to expect and how to prepare for your meeting. We have created the following list to help you get the most out of your first meeting. This list is clearly not exhaustive and does not take into account your personal situation.
1. Be on time. Everyone's time is important. At Frye Law Offices, we strive to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible for our clients. We will be on time for our appointment with you, and if we are not, we will call you to let you know. We ask that you do the same.
2. Be prepared. Everyone's situation is different, so the more information we have about your situation the better. You should bring in all relevant forms, correspondence, and pictures to help explain your story. Even documents that you are questionable about, you should bring into your interview.
3. Be organized. Many times you walk out of an office or get off the phone and think of just one more question you meant to ask. We encourage you to make a list of all your questions and concerns. Also, a written story of what happened, and any relevant background information can also give us perspective on what has been happening.
4. Don't be afraid. We are providing a service to you. Also, we are humans too! Frye Law Offices will always offer friendly legal services. If you do not understand a question or something we say, please let us know. Many times we use certain words and phrases so many times that we forget to explain them to others, so just remind us.
5. Ask questions. This tip has been tied into earlier ones, but it is worth mentioning again. We will have many questions for you, but we want you to ask us questions also. The more questions that are asked and answered, the better the communication will be between us all.
6. Be focused. You have lived through what has been going on in your life or with your business, but we have just begun to hear about it. The more thought you can put into what you want to tell us, the better. To eliminate outside distractions we do not accept phone calls when we are in a consultation with one of our clients. If there is an emergency and we need to take a phone call, we will let you know before the interview. Please extend us the same courtesy.
7. Be patient. There will be a great deal of information that will be discussed in that first meeting. Many times we will have to go back over some details to make sure that we understand you fully. We will strive to answer all your questions, but there will be times when we may not have an answer for you or where we need some time to reflect before we can give you an answer.
8. Don't take it personally. You have come to us to help analyze your legal situation. Our legal analysis has nothing to do with what we personally think of your situation. We are not here to judge you. We want to help you have the best possible outcome under the law. However, some times our desired outcome is not workable within the law, but we will help you explore all of your options and come up with one that works for you.