How to Hire Us

Helping Every Client Achieve Best Results

Lai & Turner eliminates the worry and stress often experienced by people when hiring an attorney. By virtue of practicing our company principles in everything we do – Truth, Justice, Respect, and Empathy – we eliminate worry and stress right at the beginning of our working relationship with every client.

Hiring an attorney is both an intellectual and emotional decision. Intellectually, people need assurance that the attorney they hire is competent, ethical, and committed to their client’s best interests. Emotionally, people need to feel a certain degree of trust and connection with the attorney they hire.

Next Steps

We hope our website has provided you with a wealth of information to help you hire Lai & Turner Law Firm for our legal services and representation. If so, the next step is very simple.

Click here and complete our new client intake form with as much information and detail as you can.

TIP: Our Intake Specialists will respond to inquiries prioritized by their completeness in information and details. Our goal is to be able to quickly refer your inquiry to a Lai & Turner attorney. Incomplete details will delay this referral.

What to Expect After We Receive Your Contact Form

• A Lai & Turner Intake Specialists will review your Contact Form for completeness.
• If there are sufficient details provided, the Intake Specialist will refer you to an attorney and you should expect a call or email from the attorney as quickly as possible.
• If there are insufficient details to warrant a direct referral, either the Intake Specialist or a Lai & Turner Investigator will reach out to you to discuss your case and obtain additional case details. There is no charge to potential clients for this step, which is considered a “free case evaluation.”
• Once we have obtained the necessary details, your case will be referred to an attorney.
• The referred attorney will call you to confirm your case details as provided, and provide you with a brief legal opinion, brief case strategy, and a fee quote for services. This is considered a second “free case evaluation.”
• If you are still undecided about retaining us, you can book an additional “Paid Consultation” to discuss your matter with an attorney.
• If you decide to retain our law firm, the attorney will prepare an “engagement letter” that outlines the specific legal services we will be providing and fees for service. If you do not hire us, there is no fee for the consultations received to date (other than the “Paid Consultation”)
• Sometimes, case complexity exceeds the available time, or abilities of our Intake Specialists or Investigators to obtain the necessary details to make a referral to an attorney. In such cases, you will be invited to participate in a more detailed, pre-paid consultation where you will meet with an attorney. Following which the attorney will be able to provide you with a legal opinion, case strategy, and a fee quote for services. If you hire us, your paid consultation will be included in your fee quote. If you do not, the consultation fee is your only cost for our services.

Free Case Evaluations

New clients are invited to participate in a free case evaluation. A free case evaluation is an opportunity for both you and our intake specialist to discuss your case in general terms. This evaluation is conducted by a highly trained intake specialist, not an attorney. If you wish to have a case evaluation with an attorney, we are pleased to schedule a full hour prepaid consultation with one of our attorneys instead of a free case evaluation.

How Much Does It Cost?

Lai & Turner Law Firm offers four different fee models depending on the nature of the legal services provided as well as the pros and cons of each model to both Lai & Turner and a client.

*Except when Lai & Turner offers a flat fee model for specific services, legal fees are estimated based on our attorney base hourly rate, subject to adjustments listed above. All fees and time estimates will be provided during the initial consultation with every client. Once a client decides to hire us, we will draft a “Letter of Engagement” that confirms the specific services to be provided, the fee structure, and expenses likely to be incurred during representation.

Flat Fee

We charge a flat fee for legal services that are routine in nature, and the estimated amount of time to complete the service is relatively known and stable. For example, we charge a flat fee to prepare an Estate Plan or to prepare the legal structure for a new corporation. A flat fee is beneficial for both the client and Lai & Turner because both parties know the full cost of the services provided up front before the services begin.

Hourly Billable Rate

Often, the total estimated time to complete legal service, and the specific nature of the services to be provided, is unknown at the beginning of our relationship with a client. Under such circumstances, we charge an hourly billable rate that fluctuates depending on the services provided. For example, if we defend a client who has been charged with a criminal offense, we charge a fluctuating hourly rate as follows: Attorney “office rate” for in-office consultations, document preparation, trial, and witness preparation, hosting dispositions; attorney base hourly rate. Attorney “field rate” for all field consultations, depositions, or court appearances with or on behalf of a client; add 25% to attorney base hourly rate plus travel and per diem as pre-approved by client. Investigator and paralegal “office rate” for in-house investigations, consultations, case research, and report writing; attorney base hourly rate minus 40%. Investigator and paralegal “field rate” for field investigations, consultations, and case research; attorney base hourly rate minus 25% plus travel and per diem as pre-approved by client.

Contingency Fee

A contingency fee is a fee model whereby neither Lai & Turner nor the client knows in advance how much time it will take to resolve a legal action, nor what the outcome of the action may be. There is significant risk and reward in cases where an attorney and client agree to a contingency fee. “Contingency” means that the attorney fee is payable to the attorney only if they win the case and money damages are awarded to the client. The fee is payable to the attorney at the time the defendant pays the settlement and not before. For example, serious personal injuries (such as from a car accident) can result in yet-to-be-determined medical expenses, permanent impairment, and pain and suffering experienced by the victim. Moreover, such cases can take months and even years to litigate and settle, and there is never a guarantee as to the outcome. Accordingly, most attorneys charge between 33-50% of the settlement to compensate them for the risk of working for free until the case is resolved. Moreover, many attorneys advance all costs of litigation, including medical report fees, expert witness fees, and more. If they lose the case, or the settlement or award is small, the attorney will have worked for free or at a low equivalent hourly rate. In turn, a client who wins their case will not receive the full amount of the settlement or award, but only the settlement amount less the contingency fee due to their attorney. Lai & Turner will quote a contingency fee based on the initial consultation, the complexity of the case, and other factors, such as costs that may need to be advanced during the legal action.

Hybrid

(combined retainer and contingency fee) Lai & Turner offers a hybrid fee structure for those clients who desire to reduce the contingency fee in exchange for paying a retainer to commence an action. This is often a satisfactory compromise when a client has the financial means to pay a retainer while desiring to minimize the contingency fee that will be due upon settlement of the case.

Management of Fees & Expenses

RETAINER

A retainer is an amount that the client pays upfront to Lai & Turner. The retainer is initially deposited into the Lai & Turner trust account and transferred to the general account once the service has been completed, OR, as billable hours of legal work are completed. Once the retainer has been exhausted due to legal work being completed, the client will be required to pay an additional retainer for Lai & Turner to continue its work on behalf of the client. (Often, once a client has an established working relationship with us, we waive retainers and offer monthly billing for work performed.)

EXPENSES

Depending on the work performed, Lai & Turner may have to pay for certain expenses on behalf of the client. For example, an immigration application will incur specific fees payable to the United States Citizenship and Immigration S services (USCIS). When a client pays fees to other third parties upfront, Lai & Turner will deposit such funds into its trust account and disburse them appropriately when due. A final note about fees and expenses; Lai & Turner will provide a monthly accounting of all costs and expenses paid, earned, and disbursed or upon request by any client at any time.

PAYMENT PLAN

For qualifying clients, Lai & Turner may offer a payment plan

Important Disclaimer Regarding Co-Counsel & Attorney Referrals

Co-counsel representation and attorney referrals are common in the legal profession. A “co-counsel” situation occurs when a second attorney works with the primary attorney on behalf of a client, with the client’s prior approval. Unless there is an addendum to the letter of engagement between the client and the primary attorney law firm, the primary attorney law firm is responsible for the work performed by the co-counsel.

Unless there is an addendum to the letter of engagement, the fees agreement between the client and the primary law firm applies to the co-counsel. An attorney referral occurs when one attorney refers a client and the client’s matter entirely to another attorney for handling.

The referring attorney has no role or accountability in the matter. The referring attorney may or may not receive a referral fee from the referred attorney for referring the client. The referred attorney creates the letter of engagement between them and the client.