Miscellaneous legal advice – telephone consults.

Over the past 30 years I have had experience with most legal issues that plague the average person.

I have heard it all before...

I find that many times when a person has a legal issue the first thing that they need is an honest appraisal of their problem and an examination of their options.

A good honest appraisal and sound advice at an early stage can save you a lot of time, money and aggravation.

The problem is that often the issue becomes distorted right from the beginning with gratuitous advice from all sorts of folk who are not competent to give that advice.

Does it really make sense to listen to your friends and family, or to your financial advisor, insurance agent or barber – after all which Law School and what year were they called to the Bar???

The reasonable person gets his medical advice from a physician and legal advice from a lawyer.

The fool acts as his own lawyer or doctor and does not seek out competent advice on matters that clearly require special expertise.

The fool also accepts legal advice from sources that are completely inappropriate – friends, relatives and know-it-alls.

Do not be a fool!

(I will not sugar-coat my views on this issue because over the years I have seen too many people lose a lot of money and be emotionally scarred because they did not get competent legal advice at an early stage and were mislead by well-meaning friends, relatives and know-it-alls.)

I routinely provide this service – telephone consults - to my clients, friends and family – at a reasonable price.

If you have a legal issue consider running it by an experienced lawyer via a telephone consult.

These consults can be paid by etransfer or credit card and can usually be arranged quite quickly – and evening hours are available.

In most cases in Ontario a law office consult can be very costly and inconvenient. Taking time off to attend a law office during the day, the cost of transportation, parking etc... and the sheer aggravation associated with all this makes consulting a lawyer at his office a problem and something most people 'put off' and suffer later because of it.

And the truth is that an in-office consult is usually not necessary – in most cases a lawyer can effectively deal with a legal issue or problem over the telephone. The internet can also provide considerable assistance in terms of swiftly providing documentation and further information, etc.

There is no magic or extra benefit to be derived by sitting in a lawyer’s office!

My charges for a telephone consult from a half hour to an hour are reasonable and the service is very convenient – evening and Saturday morning consults are available and payment can be by etransfer or credit card.

Either I will know the answer to your concern or can point you in the right direction. Often that alone will make the exercise worthwhile and save you a lot of aggravation, money and worry.

I will give you the true bottom line: No lawyer double-talk and there is no conflict of interest revolving around these consults – I will not seek to draw you into retaining my services nor shall I recommend a referral to another lawyer – that is not the objective of this service - pure honest objectivity is my objective – I am only available for the consult and all I will provide is some no-nonsense impartial advice.

Getting the honest bottom line on an issue - even when the answer is not what you would have hoped – can give you something that is priceless: peace of mind and... closure.

This is a satisfying area of work for me – I have helped a lot of people over the years not just in advising them but at times telling them – in no uncertain terms - to not be foolish - to fold their cards and walk away.

Often - and for good reason - the issue that is vexing a client is not worth pursuing from a legal and/or monetary point of view and sometimes – even more importantly – dealing with and dwelling upon the issue is dangerous from a mental health perspective.

Many times – the issue is not only legal but emotional – and the client needs to have someone bring him back to reality – and spouses, relatives and friends can not do this. He needs to hear an accurate assessment of the case from a professional and if the reasons are carefully explained then everything will then fall into place and assume it’s proper perspective.

My fee for a half hour telephone consult is $ 95.00 plus tax.

However – no preliminary telephone calls – put the issue in writing and send it in an email and I shall respond as soon as possible if you have a preliminary question or two. (If I start accepting telephone calls from people who want some preliminary information then I will get nothing done. Send me an email with your question and concern and I shall review the matter and respond as time permits. And if I feel that I can not assist you I shall decline the matter promptly.)

Areas that I cover with telephone consults:

• General legal advice:
  (go through both lists and see if the matter that is of concern to you is listed. If it is not – send me an email with a description of the problem and if I feel that I cannot assist you I shall decline the matter – however please be sure to go through the list of issues that I do not cover – set out below.)
• Business issues - contracts, partnerships, etc.
• Consumer issues – defective products and services.
• Contracts
• Disputes between the client and his doctor, lawyer, accountant, contractor, corporation, banks, neighbours, former spouses, lovers, friend etc. Disputes with just about any person, corporation or organization that can cause the average person aggravation and loss.
• Employment issues – (but not involving union matters.)
• Estate Issues
• Insurance issues and claims (but not motor vehicle claims or Workmen’s Compensation claims.)
• Letters received from lawyers, banks, corporations etc.
• Will Issues.

Areas that I do not cover:

• Divorce, separation agreements, etc.
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Real estate issues
• Incorporation issues
• Leases
• Union law
• Immigration law
• Landlord & Tenant Law
• Criminal law & Highway Traffic offences
• Motor Vehicle Insurance