Contact and Retainer

Initial Contact and Email

You may contact Mr. Harper by mail, by phone, or by email. If you send a message, he will receive it before he will have determined whether a conflict of interest exists. For that reason, please do not include details about your case in your first message. When you send an email or any other type of message, your privacy will always be respected, and your name and contact information will never be given to telemarketers or third parties for any other reason.


Free Consultation

The consultation is a conversation with Mr. Harper, to let you decide if you want to retain him. It also allows him to decide whether the problem that brought you to see him is something that can be addressed by a lawyer, and whether he is allowed to represent you with no conflict of interest.

During the consultation, ask him about his qualifications and experience, his fee and how it will be paid, and any other subject involved in your decision to retain him. Tell him the names of the people and businesses involved in your case, so he can decide whether a conflict of interest exists. After those points are covered, discuss your case with him in general terms, so he can decide whether it presents a legal issue that can be addressed by a lawyer.

For some cases, the consultation is the only step that will be required for Mr. Harper to decide whether to accept or decline your case.


Case Screening

Some cases require the additional step of screening in order for Mr. Harper to decide whether to accept the case. Screening is a preliminary review, to let Mr. Harper decide whether your case presents issues that he would be willing to raise in court. It involves a second, more detailed conversation with him about your case, and it includes his review of whatever documents you provide. After screening, you will receive a brief summary of whatever issues he has identified that he would be willing to raise in court on your behalf. Screening requires a nominal fee, paid in advance.


The Attorney/Client Relationship

The attorney/client relationship is formed only after the consultation takes place (and after case screening if it is required), and only after Mr. Harper has told you that he is your attorney. Depending on your case, the formation of the attorney/client relationship may also require the completion of a contract and the payment of a retainer. The attorney/client relationship is not formed by any other means, and the act of viewing this website or contacting Mr. Harper or sending case materials to him does not create an attorney/client relationship.