About The Legal Process
We believe we are uniquely qualified to assist you in a wide variety of roles — whether as counselor, litigator, personal lawyer or business adviser. Our objective is to use all of our skills and assets to represent your interests vigorously and successfully. The information below is designed to help you make the most complete use of our services. The following information should familiarize you with our basic operations:
Office Phone Number: 651-968-0969
Office Fax Number: 651-227-0758
Office Email
Office voice mail: Phone calls received after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays or during the weekend, will be answered automatically and you will have the opportunity to leave a recorded message for a specific individual or in the general voice mail box. Messages left in the general voice mail box will be distributed in the morning on the next business day.
Office location and mailing address: For directions to our offices please consult Google Maps or the direction section of our contact page. Our offices are located at:
First National Bank Building
Suite West 1100
332 Minnesota Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1379
Office Hours: Regular office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The telephone switchboard also operates during these hours.
Where To Direct Your Questions
The practice of law often involves complicated concepts and procedures. Questions are likely to arise and when they do, you will save time and effort by knowing where to seek assistance. We hope the following will serve as your guide.
- Legal advice can only be given by an attorney. Secretaries, law clerks and paralegals should not be asked to interpret the law or to render legal opinions.
- Billing and account balance questions should be referred to the business office.
- Appointments can usually be scheduled with your lawyer’s secretary.
- The status of your case can often be addressed by the paralegal or law clerk assigned to your case. If none has been assigned, please direct your questions to the lawyer involved.
Definitions
Attorneys and staff are available to assist you according to their specific talents, training and the nature of the particular assignment. For this reason, we have provided you with some basic descriptions.
- Law clerks are individuals who are currently attending law school and have not yet been admitted to the practice of law. They are skilled in many aspects of legal work and can provide you with assistance on matters which do not require a lawyer’s direct attention. Typical duties might include legal research, drafting of documents, and investigation.
- Paralegals and legal assistants help clients and lawyers in variety of ways. Like law clerks, they work under the supervision of the firm’s lawyers and perform tasks such as interviewing witnesses, organizing files, drafting documents, and preparing for trial. Law clerks, paralegals, and legal assistants allow us to provide a high level of service while containing your overall cost.
- Legal secretaries do much more than type. They schedule depositions, act as liaison with the various courts and commissions, prepare forms and pleadings, coordinate the jobs being performed for you by other staff, maintain their lawyer’s calendar, and perform a multitude of other tasks as needed. In short, legal secretaries are one of your most valuable resources as a client.
Billing Information
Legal fees and costs of representation should be discussed with your lawyer as soon as possible. You should inquire as to the method of billing which will be used and the terms of payment which will be expected.
As with any business, prompt payment of bills is appreciated. You will be billed monthly, for legal services provided and for funds expended on your behalf, such as filing fees and charges for securing copies of records. Regular payment of invoices is expected.
A deposit toward your account, called a retainer, may be required before legal representation begins. If a retainer arrangement is made, the funds will be held in our firm’s trust account. The retainer will be applied to the invoices on your file as costs are incurred. As your retainer balance is reduced, you may be asked to provide additional funds before further work on your behalf will be performed. Any balance in your retainer account will be refunded to you at the completion of your case.
Our business office can make arrangements to apply your account balance to a major credit card for your convenience.
If you have questions about your account balance, payment plan, or errors on your bill, you should contact the business office by calling our main phone number. You should contact the billing attorney for a question regarding the content of a bill. You will not be charged for time spent resolving billing questions.
Disclaimer
The information on this web site is not intended to provide legal advice. The circumstances of each individual or entity are unique. How the law applies to those circumstances can significantly differ. It is important that a qualified, licensed attorney review your situation and the unique circumstances that have prompted your legal inquiries.
Please be advised that the act of sending electronic mail to this site or to any attorney listed on this site does not alone create an attorney-client relationship. An agreement between you and an attorney must be entered into before an attorney-client relationship is established. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters.
You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you.
No guarantee is made that unsolicited e-mail from non-clients will be responded to.
If you feel your legal situation is urgent, we recommend that you contact an attorney via telephone.