How To Get A New Case Evaluation Appointment With Gunderson Employment Law
This is the best way to get a new case evaluation appointment with me.
Seriously, this is the best way to get a new case evaluation appointment with me. In fact, until 10 October 2023, it is the ONLY way to get a new case evaluation appointment with me, because I will be away from my office.
Please use this form once and only once to request a time to meet with me to discuss whether we may be a good fit as attorney and client.
The purpose of this form is to set up an initial case screening and permit a conflict of interest check, to make sure that we get your contact information into our system accurately, and for a variety of other efficiencies that the online system creates for us. We will do our best to accommodate your scheduling needs.
Typically, this meeting is done over Zoom, for safety and convenience. If you have not used Zoom before, we strongly recommend that you download it and give it a test run before our meeting to make sure everything works. We also strongly recommend participating in the videoconference using a desktop or laptop computer. As a backup, it also works on a cell phone, but experience suggests that the performance is not nearly so good.
We will not proceed with a Zoom appointment if you are driving during the call.
The link to the meeting, the meeting ID, and the passcode for the meeting will all be sent to you via e-mail.
When Can I Get A Meeting?
My next available meeting openings will begin on 11 October 2023. I will be checking e-mail and, less frequently, voice mail during this time; my paralegal will be helping with administrative and case duties while I’m out but before we can completely evaluate and agree to a case, you and I need to talk. We regret for any inconvenience caused by my absence.
At the moment, we have a very high volume of cases pending, and more inquiries regarding my retention than frankly I can handle. I’ve turned down some very good-looking cases recently because I need to make sure that I’m doing as good a job as I can on the matters I currently have. This is a bad feeling for me, but I am already operating above my comfortable capacity for workload.
So I’m sorry I can’t schedule most appointments sooner. I need to balance my time between my active case obligations and other demands on my time, so I may not be immediately available for non-emergency kinds of issues.
I will be unavailable from 25 September 2023 – 10 October 2023. I regret any inconvenience.
Is There Any Fee For An Initial Consultation?
In most cases, yes.
I wish I had the luxury of doing all my initial interviews for free! But I don’t; because I have such high demand for my time, and because the nature of an initial consultation involves substantial assessment of the law, I charge fees for initial consultations, appropriate to the nature of what the prospective client requests in the consultation.
If we agree to pursue contingency litigation, I typically apply the initial consultation fee towards the ultimate contingency payment as a credit to my client.
Consultation fees are payable via credit card.
What Information Should I Give Here?
Feel free to provide a brief description of what you understand the issue to be, such as “Retaliation for filing workers’ compensation claim,” or “sex discrimination.” We will discuss the details of the story when we videoconference, but it’s helpful for me to understand what you think is going on.
If you have a severance offer pending, please mention that. I handle severance offer reviews differently than other kinds of new matters, for a number of reasons. I explain more about the terms of that kind of consultation, and why, in my description of severance offer reviews.
It’s also helpful to indicate how long it’s been since the last time the problem occurred. By this I mean “the last time my boss mistreated me,” or “the day I was fired,” or whatever the equivalent of that might be for your situation. Dates and timing are very important in this business!
Finally, if you have been referred to me by someone else, feel free to indicate who that was. I like to thank the people who think of me when they refer legal work out.
Please hold on to very sensitive information until we speak. One of the reasons I have this form and this screening process is to check for conflicts of interest before I take in any delicate information, on the off chance that certain of my existing clients might be affected by your situation. Our conversation is protected by attorney-client privilege whether or not we agree to form an attorney-client relationship.
Employees: please give me your PERSONAL e-mail address, not a work address.
Most of the time, you will receive three e-mails back. The first is a description of the next step. The second is an invitation to a Zoom meeting. Please respond as indicated in that invitation and note the date and time on your own calendar. The third is an invitation to create an account on my online client portal.
Okay, Let’s Go!
Filling out this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. This form is to help determine if Gunderson Employment Law would be a good fit for your legal needs.
Please double-check if all of the information is correct, particularly your e-mail address and telephone number. I presume, unless you indicate otherwise, that the number you give is a personal cellular phone that can receive both calls and text messages.