Matson Freyvogel PC - Attorneys and Counselors at Law

Our profession has undergone radical changes in recent years. The law has become more complex. Legal costs have skyrocketed. Competition for business among law firms has become more intense. Clients have become more sophisticated and cost-conscious in their selection of attorneys. Law firms which cannot adjust to these changing times quickly learn that their clients will take their business elsewhere. Clients rightfully expect that their attorneys will provide them with first-class representation at all times. Lawyers and their professional staff must have the highest levels of knowledge, skill and experience within their practice specialties.

We recognize that now, more than ever, we are in a service business, where clients command timely and thorough responses to their needs. Your lawyer is of little use to you if you cannot get in touch with him. Telephone calls must be returned promptly. Questions must be answered without unreasonable delay. Documents must be prepared with speed, accuracy and efficiency. Special cases often require special efforts. Most importantly, our work must be cost-effective to our clients in all respects. A client should not faint when the lawyer's bill arrives. We believe that our attorneys have been successful in the past, and will continue to prosper in the future, because we recognize that we must provide our clients with the highest levels of quality, service and value in all of our work.

The "general practice" attorney is fast becoming a relic of the past. For this reason, each of our lawyers focuses his practice in one or more particular fields of the law. Through continuing legal education programs, up-to-date legal publications, advanced computer techniques and comprehensive in-house experience, our lawyers try to stay on the cutting edge of their practice areas. Our specialized knowledge and training are the key to the high quality of service that we provide to our clients.

We realize that the relationship between an attorney and client is a very personal one. However, because of the need for specialized expertise in many legal areas, your primary attorney may need to call upon the knowledge, skill and experience of other personnel in the firm. Occasionally, with your consent, your work may be referred to other attorneys within our office who can serve your needs more thoroughly and more efficiently. All of the members of this "client team" are pledged to furnishing you with the best possible representation on every matter with which we are entrusted. For more detailed information on our attorneys and their professional backgrounds, please review their individual biographies.

FEES AND BILLING PRACTICES

As lawyers, our time, advice and services are the only commodities that we have to offer. For this reason, much of our work is charged to our clients on the basis of the amount of time expended by the firm and the complexity or difficulty involved in a specific project. However, we are not a large, monolithic law firm with hundreds of lawyers, staggering overhead costs and high billing rates. We believe that our size, our specialization and our systematic approach to cases allow us to provide an efficient and cost-effective alternative to many clients who have become offended and outraged by the excessive fees charged by many attorneys.

Clients are encouraged to inquire in advance concerning the cost of legal work under consideration. Our attorneys will be happy to discuss this issue with you in detail and provide fee estimates. Whenever possible, we try to ensure that all of our clients have a full understanding of the firm's billing practices and procedures at the very outset of the attorney-client relationship. We feel that the satisfaction of a client with regard to the legal fee charged is second only to his/her satisfaction with the quality of legal representation provided by our office.

Our billing statements are divided generally into two sections. The first describes the legal services rendered by our firm (our time, advice and specific services devoted to your representation), and the second details any money advanced or costs incurred on your behalf during the period covered by the bill. These expenses normally include filing fees, document recording costs, long distance telephone charges, facsimile charges, delivery costs, copying charges, travel expenses, transcript fees and similar reimbursable items. Please feel free to contact our responsible attorney in the event that you wish to discuss any aspect of your invoice.

CLIENT-ATTORNEY COMMUNICATION

The ethical standards of the legal profession and of our firm require that all information or communication received from a client by one of our lawyers, paralegals or staff members must remain strictly confidential. Every attorney and employee of MFPC regards the personal and professional privacy of our clients to be of critical importance.

We feel strongly that open and candid communication is necessary to an effective attorney-client relationship. Feedback from our clients allows us to eliminate potential problems and improve our overall quality of service. If you have any questions about the firm or the handling of your legal matter at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us. We welcome your inquiries, comments and suggestions.