3125 Old Conejo Road

Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

(805) 230-2525

FAQs

I am being sued. What should I do?

We suggest you call us for an appointment to meet and discuss the matter. After our initial consultation you can decide whether you want to retain us. The first thing to understand is ‘service’ of the lawsuit papers (summons and complaint/petition) requires that you have a limited time to act. When did you receive the summons and complaint? You generally  have 30 days to file an answer or other response, except for unlawful detainer cases (eviction) where you have only 5 days to file an answer or response. You need to act quickly to secure proper representation.

 

I have questions about my legal rights and options.

You may have a situation regarding real property, business, contracts, wrongful conduct, wills and trusts,or litigation. Call us for an appointment to meet and discuss the matter. After we review and understand your situation, needs and goals, we can discuss your options going forward and lay out a plan of action to help you accomplish your goals.

 

What are your fees?

Generally our legal services are billed on an hourly basis.  We do not charge extra for clerical work, postage, normal copying and faxing. Your advance deposit (retainer) is kept in a trust account and only used to pay for actual fees and costs incurred. You will receive a detailed itemized monthly statement showing the work and costs to date and the balance of your deposit. Any unused deposit will be refunded to you after the conclusion of our representation. We may take certain types of cases on a contingency basis for a negotiable percentage of your recovery. Reasonable ‘flat fees’ are also available in certain cases, such as drafting letters, contracts, documents, trusts and wills, for example.

 

What are my remedies?

To bring a claim, you will generally need to file a lawsuit. As attorneys, we will attempt to determine what legal claims and legal theories may be available for you to attempt to achieve the results you may be seeking.  If you are sued and you have claims against the other party, you may be able to file a cross-complaint for your own recovery that may defeat the claims of the other party or offset them. If there are claims that involve continuing wrongful conduct, you may have a right for a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction.  If there is a breach of contract, you may have a right to attach the other party’s assets so they are not disposed of prior to the end of the lawsuit. You may have a claim that you have a right to buy a property and want to specifically enforce the agreement to force the property be sold to you. There are ways to protect you during such litigation from the other party selling the property to someone else before the lawsuit ends. These are all matters that we as attorneys, can evaluate and discuss with you, including the likelihood of success, the length of time to litigate the matter and the estimates of cost. No one case is the same, so each case must be reviewed on its own facts, so consultation with an attorney is your first step.