GCGS offers clients an array of planning services. The following is provided as information to give our clients an idea of what will happen during the initial consultation period. We hope you will also take a moment to visit our Resources page where you can find additional information regarding issues specific topics as well as many of the planning documents used to gather information prior to our initial meeting.
If you have selected us as your Closing Agent, please contact Certified Paralegal Debbie White to schedule a date for the closing (or instruct your real estate agent or broker to contact us). As soon as possible, submit the Real Estate Closing Information Forms to our office. We will ask you to sign an Engagement Letter prior to or at the Closing. There is a minimum $250 charge to conduct a title search.
If you are a Seller of a residence in which we are acting as the Closing Agent, please read and sign a Seller's Disclosure Form. As Closing Agent, we represent the Buyer (and Lender in a limited capacity) not you. We can represent you in the limited capacity of Deed and Lien Affidavit preparation ($125.00 fee). If there are title issues or escrow issues that need to be addressed, additional compensation will be discussed. You always have the right to have other counsel represent you in these matters.
Regarding other real estate issues such as boundary disputes, homeowners associations issues, encroachments, restrictive covenants or preparation of deeds, easements, etc., you should bring all relevant existing documents (deeds, surveys, contracts, title policies) with you to your initial consultation. GCGS has a real estate consultation fee of $100. This fee will be applied to your total fee if you retain us.
Commercial real estate transactions are normally initiated in an initial consultation. You should bring all existing relevant documents with you for the initial meeting. GCGS has a real estate consultation fee of $100. This fee will be applied to your total fee if you retain us.
You should receive a Welcome Kit from our office prior to your initial consultation. Included in this Kit is a short questionnaire designed to help focus your thoughts on the planning process, and a personal survey to help us gather important facts. Please take the time to review these documents and bring them with you to your appointment.
Expect to receive a reminder phone call from our office the day before your appointment. This is simply to confirm the time and date of the appointment, and to ensure that you are still planning to attend. If you need to reschedule your appointment, please contact us immediately so that we may rearrange our schedule and perhaps make an appointment more convenient for another client.
There is no need to go on a "treasure hunt" at this point for financial or legal documents, stock certificates or insurance policies. Sometimes we find clients procrastinate in getting their planning done because they cannot locate, or do not have time to locate, all of these documents. Truthfully, these documents will not be needed until we begin the funding process ... which is one of the last steps in the process! Instead, spend the time before your appointment contemplating the Three Ps of Estate Planning.
The statute of limitations for a claim resulting from an automobile accident and a medical malpractice claim are quite different. Please do not delay having your claim evaluated in a timely manner. It is helpful to both of us if you gather as many of your documents and records as possible before scheduling your initial appointment, including the accident report, photographs of your damaged property, photographs of your injuries (including cuts, bruises, stitches, etc.) before your first visit to our office, as well as a record of any lost wages attributable to your injuries. In the event of an automobile accident, you should include any witness contact information as well as a list of the names and addresses of all treating physicians, therapists and hospitals where you have been treated. In addition, keeping a journal or diary of your reduced activities and pain which resulted from the activities following the accident may help create an accurate description of the changes in your life during your recovery and following. At our consultation, we may ask you to execute an Engagement Letter and to sign HIPPA compliant authorization forms allowing us to collect your medical records. All records are confidential and will not be released to a third-party without your consent. After our review of the records a final decision can be made concerning whether this office will be able to represent you. We will meet with you and discuss our assessment of the strengths and weaknesses surrounding your claim.
It is important to us at GCG&S that you recover from your injuries. Please remember however, that while we will do our best to assist you, there are no guarantees of any financial recovery. Further, we do not negotiate settlements for property damage as a part of your representation.
Before you arrive for your initial consultation, please gather all documents, writings, maps, surveys or other paperwork related to your claim as well as photographs, tape recordings, or any other media. These documents are necessary to evaluate your individual situation. Our attorneys are generally able to review your paperwork and discuss the particulars of your situation during an initial consultation. Our consultation fee is $100; we are happy to discuss any future anticipated fees with you at that meeting.
Generally you will be offered a letter of engagement or non-engagement at that meeting, setting out each of our mutual responsibilities in any representation as well as defining your responsibility for reimbursement of costs advanced by this firm during the pendency of any lawsuit, including filing fees, service fees, discovery fees (including the expenses associated with the taking of depositions), mediation fees, etc.
You can expect to be regularly consulted as we move through the legal process together. While your questions are welcome at any time, we are not generally available to see you for "drop-in" visits. Please call for an appointment and bring a list of questions and/or concerns with you to our meeting. Telephone calls are promptly returned; we are always happy for you to leave new information for our review at any time.
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