THE ENARA CLIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS-
CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATIONS
To see the Enara Client’s Bill of Rights in action, contact our Arizona lawyers to discuss your business legal matters. Contact our Phoenix team in Scottsdale for a consultation at (602) 687-2010, by email at [email protected], or at the form below.
Pre-Engagement Questions
Why Did I Start Enara Law?
Enara law was started after the painstaking experience I had as a first-time consumer of legal services, as opposed to being a provider of legal services. Long story short, I sold my company, did the vast majority of the work- and still got hit with a six-figure legal bill. Thats when I thought- there must be a better way.
What Did I Do Before Enara Law?
Before starting Enara Law I worked in various positions in the business, politics, and legal industries. Some of the highlights: my work as a corporate executive (COO & General Counsel) to a company that had a multi-million dollar exit, experience in a judicial clerkship and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), lobbying Congress on behalf of various special interest groups in Washington DC, as well as work as a private sector attorney.
What Makes Enara Law Different?
Transparency is our top differentiator. Enara Law’s objective is Bringing Legal to Light®. We have worked to develop a truly different firm- one that makes legal services accessible to small businesses, startups and individuals, and moves away from the dark tactics utilized in traditional legal settings (excess billing, minimal communication, prioritizing legal services over client objectives), and instead to a more modern, client-centered approach.
Why Trust Us?
You shouldn't- trust is earned! Any lawyer that asks you to trust them from the get-go, hang the phone up, run, or both.
How much does our service cost?
Our services vary in cost depending on the type of engagement; however, we utilize many different billing methods, including contingency, hybrid, and standard hourly bills. We also offer our Emerge Program for general counsel (non-dispute related) clients.
What is the difference between money motivated and principle based attorneys?
One of the most unfortunate realities of the legal profession (which I learned the hard way) is that many attorneys are money motivated, and accordingly many firms incorporate minimum billing quotas on their attorneys to ensure they are maximizing their billings of clients. At Enara Law we strive to work efficiently and only bill for actual time spent on your matter- without the underlying motivation of meeting a quota to pad hours or earn a bonus.
Why is legal so expensive?
The unfortunate reality is that the legal system is complex; and those complexities require adequate time, preparation and execution to be properly navigated in an effort to zealously advocate on behalf of clients. Unlike other firm philosophies however, that does not mean that legal services need to be done inefficiently to maximize billable time to clients.
Why does everyone do hourly vs. flat rate or contingency?
Generally flat rate engagements are most cost effective to a client, and shares the risk of excess work between the lawyer and client. Even if the flat fee may seem like high, when properly priced, it generally benefits the client from regularly overlooked aspects of legal fees, which can become expensive with an hourly engagement (such as legal research, drafting, editing, filing, etc).
Do attorneys lie to clients in order to get case work?
As attorneys are advocates by trade, its not shocking that many will advocate for their own best interest. Many cases operate based on volume- meaning, their goal is to sign any and all clients that come through the door. One of the most common means is to offer a client a false sense of security in their case as if its a “slam dunk”- only to bill the client and bear the bad news in the future about the futility or weaknesses of a case, only after the attorney has billed the client for an extended period of time. At Enara Law, we pride ourselves on our utmost transparency- telling our prospective clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear just to get their business.
You spoke to a lawyer and he made it seem simple or easy to resolution with you case, are they being honest with you?
This is another common tactic attorneys use to get prospective clients to sign with them. By oversimplifying a matter or its timeline/process to success, many attorneys attempt to appear to have a streamlined process to success. The reality is that the legal process is engrained in process; the legal system itself is designed to offer all individuals a uniform process to utilize the judicial process in their pursuit of justice.
How can I look up a lawyers track record? If anyone has filed complaints against them or they have been in trouble with the bar?
In most jurisdictions, the state bar will have a publicly accessible search database of licensed attorneys and if they have been subject to any disciplinary action as a result of violations of the rules of professional conduct (ethics) for lawyers. Its best practice to always run a search of an attorney and their disciplinary history before engaging an attorney, so you can make the most informed decision about your representation.
While Working Together
Why am I being billed different amounts per attorney?
As with most professions, individual attorney rates vary based on a variety of factors. Some of the most common include seniority, experience, skill, expertise, and the market they operate in. As you can expect, a more senior, experienced attorneys rate will be greater than one of a relatively new attorney.
Why am I being billed by two people for one phone call or email?
One costly aspect of legal fees which is commonly overlooked is communication. Regularly at traditional law firms, its like a game of “telephone”- where one person who spoke to you, will then talk to someone else, who will then relay the information to another person, who then discusses it with yet another person (and undoubtedly, things get lost in translation, leading to the need for a follow up discussion with you)- in an extended loop, with the client paying for each and every conversation. At Enara Law, we strive to have the team of attorneys working on a matter on calls- which may reflect as multiple billings for the same call. This is intentional- to reduce the amount of message relay; so that each person on your team has firsthand knowledge, with the opportunity to ask any relevant questions, and most importantly, to operate efficiently and leading to lower costs for clients.
What is the best way to get ahold of my lawyer?
Unlike other firms, which prefer phone calls back and forth, which of course cost clients more money. At Enara Law, we like to engage with our clients on our secured portal. Using the secured portal, our clients can communicate with their legal team, and share relevant information and evidence in a streamlined and secured manner- all taking less time on unnecessary phone calls and reducing costs for clients.
How much is my monthly bill going to be?
Its near impossible for any attorney to honestly answer this question. There are however phases of litigation which cost more than others; at initial pleading stage and discovery, you can see spikes in all areas of litigation.
What happens if I don't pay my bill on time?
Like any other services utilized, paying your bill is important. If you dont pay your electric bill, the power shuts off. While a lawyer cannot harm your case or your interests by withdrawing from your matter, an attorney can seek to disengage as your lawyer for failure to pay your bill. An attorney may also pursue any amount still owed as of the time of disengagement.
Post-Engagement
How does my legal engagement end?
Your engagement with a lawyer ends when the matter is settled or concluded, or at the time your engagement is terminated by either you our your attorney.
How can I provide feedback on my experience?
Enara Law grows in accordance with the feedback provided by our clients. We are always eager to hear what we did well and what we could improve upon. We welcome our clients to leave a review on Google of their experience, so that others can hear about your experience working with us.
Can we work together again after our engagement?
If you have any future legal needs, we are always happy to consider working with you again. You can always feel free to reach out to us again on any future matters.