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Coffee with Claire #44 – Commonly Asked Questions Blog Series

February 13, 2019

What is The Hiring Process? Step Two: The Client Questionnaire

Writer’s note: This blog series is meant to act as responses to “quick” questions you may have for attorneys. Think of these answers as a “quick” answer you might receive over coffee from your friendly neighborhood attorney.

If you’ve never hired an attorney before, it can be an intimidating, daunting process. Unknowns about time or financial commitments can cause people to delay their legal questions and action. In the next few posts, I’ll walk you through the attorney hiring process I use at Tralle Law.

This consists of three steps:

1. The Initial Phone Call
2. The Client Questionnaire
3. The Initial Meeting

The second step is for the client to complete the questionnaire and return it to my office.

The questionnaire will ask some basic questions like: names, address, dates of birth; and also some more detailed questions about assets and debts. I don’t ask these questions to be nosy, I ask them because factual and complete information is necessary for me to give you the best possible legal advice.

I ask for the questionnaire to be completed (or filled out as completely as possible) prior to the initial meeting so clients don’t have to sit and watch me read over the questionnaire. Having it ahead of time allows me to flag any questions I have or where additional information is needed.

The questionnaire guides the initial meeting so I can better understand any specific legal needs. The more completely the questionnaire has been filled out, the smoother and more complete the initial meeting can happen.

It can take clients anywhere from an hour to several weeks to fill out the questionnaire. I have found filling out the questionnaire can be as much of a stumbling block as the initial contact with my office.

If you have questions about divorce or custody proceeding, estate planning, or probate, please contact Claire Tralle to set up a free initial telephone call.

The information in the Coffee with Claire series are intended to provide information only. No legal advice is being provided or implied via this blog post. No attorney-client relationship is formed by providing this information. An attorney-client relationship with Tralle Law, LLC is formed only after a retainer contact is signed by all parties.