What Happens During & After My Free Minc Law Attorney Consultation?

Not all free consultations are created equal, so clients often wonder what to expect during their first meeting with one of our attorneys. At Minc Law, we view our consultations as an active strategy session where we take a deep dive into the specifics of a client’s internet matter. We do not provide general legal information, but an analysis and cost breakdown that is unique to each client and their internet issue.

With a Minc Law attorney, here is what you can expect during and after your free, no-obligation consultation:

• A discussion of your goals, legal options, and case strategy;
• A breakdown of costs to expect, how you will be billed, and any up-front costs;
• An engagement agreement drafted specifically for you and your legal issue, outlining your rights and responsibilities if you retain our firm;
• A chance to review your engagement agreement and ask follow-up questions; and
• A formal welcome email with contact information, next steps, and immediate implementation of our evidence preservation tools and other monitoring technology if you decide to retain us.

In this article, we will explain exactly what to expect during your free initial consultation. We will also discuss what happens behind-the-scenes after your consultation.

What Happens During My Attorney Consultation?

At Minc Law, initial consultations are 100% free, unless it is an emergency situation. Your free, initial attorney consultation is designed to be a substantive discussion and strategy session about the legal issues you are facing, rights, and available remedies. It is not meant to be a generic ‘FAQ session.’

The two main goals of our initial attorney consultations are:

• To assess your case’s potential and develop an effective legal strategy for moving forward;
• To discuss the costs and payment structure your matter will require.

Everything discussed during your consultation is confidential and privileged.

We also discuss any issues that may arise with your case. Common issues that may affect your case include statutes of limitations, jurisdiction, and defenses an opposing party may rely on.

Some internet attorneys and law firms only provide general information during an initial consult, but we look as a way to get to know our clients and perform a comprehensive analysis of your case.

Case Assessment & Strategy

The first things your attorney will discuss during your free, initial consultation are your goals and expectations. We will get to the bottom of what happened and the outcome you are looking for.

We will delve into strategy and the more specific details of your case, such as whether your legal matter will require litigation or not. We also point out any weaknesses in your case and ways to strengthen your position.

For us to better assess your legal issue and maximize the time spent at your free attorney consultation, we do ask that prior to your free attorney consult you provide us with:

• Summary of your internet issue;
• Screenshots and URL(s) where content is posted and search result queries;
• Screenshots of unwanted internet content and online harassment;
• Screenshots of communications with the perpetrator (if applicable);
• Copies of photographs, videos and other media that you want removed from the internet (if applicable);
• Copies of other evidence and relevant documents.

As a prerequisite for us to proceed with your issue, we need (at bare minimum) the link (URL) to the website unwanted content is posted on.

The more information that you provide us about your internet issue, the better.

Make sure to bring a list of questions that you would like to ask your consulting attorney. We want to get started on your legal matter right away, so if there is something that you would like answered, please come prepared to ask it! You can download our helpful checklist by clicking the box below for helpful questions to ask to be prepared!.

Whether Your Legal Matter Will Require Litigation

If your matter requires litigation, your attorney will discuss possible outcomes, timelines, where to file, and what they envision happening with your case or more generally how cases like yours tend to play. Granted, no outcomes are guaranteed when it comes to litigation.

But, after litigating hundreds of defamation lawsuits, we can always provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of what typically happens in most cases and what expect if your case does go to trial.

Whether Your Legal Matter Will Can be Handled Without Litigation

If your matter does not require litigation, we will discuss alternative options. Fortunately, matters that can be resolved without litigation are often more affordable, such as the costs for guaranteed content removals. This does not mean your case will necessarily be easier, however. You may need to provide substantial documentation to move forward.

Some non-litigation matters require submission of impact statements, expungement records, or letters of recommendation. If we foresee a need for any of these documents, we will inform you during the consultation so that you can gather the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible.

Content Removal Tip: It does not always take litigation to get negative content removed from the internet. Some alternatives to litigation for content removal include: (1) sending a cease and desist letter; (2) sending a DMCA request; (3) sending a revenge porn submission to Google; (4) making an editorial request with a news outlet; (5) flagging the content for Terms of Service violations; (6) negotiating removal with the original poster or the website; and (7) de-indexing.

Costs & Fee Structure

Aside from learning what your legal options are, you are probably curious about Minc Law’s costs and fees. We know that costs are at the forefront of every client’s mind, and it is one of the most important things discussed during a consultation.

All legal matters involving Minc Law attorneys will require a retainer fee, an advance down payment for the future legal services rendered. The retainer’s total cost will depend on the type of legal assistance that you require from Minc Law.

Each month, Minc Law attorneys will bill against the retainer, meaning they will deduct case expenses from the initial down payment. You will be invoiced monthly, so that you will be able to track your retainer balance and whether it needs to be replenished.

your attorney will explain how the retainer will be used, how we bill, and how to read your legal invoice upon request, a little more in-depth. If we expect any unique costs, like utilizing local counsel or other third-party fees, we will bring them to your attention during the consult.

For a more detailed explanation of the key benefits of using a retainer agreement to finance your legal matter, check out the video below.

Video: Attorney Retainer Fee Agreement: What Is It & How Does It Work?

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What Happens After My Consultation?

After your attorney consultation ends, the behind-the-scenes work begins. Three important steps must occur before we will begin work on any legal matter:

• We will draft and share an engagement agreement with you;
• You can review the Agreement, ask questions, and sign it (or not);
• If you choose to work with us, we will officially welcome you to the firm.

Free Online Defamation Removal Tip: Fortunately, there are some free tips and tools for removing unwanted online content. Sometimes removing unwanted or defamatory content is as simple as reporting or flagging the content to the website. Before flagging or reporting content, review the platform’s policies or terms and conditions. This way, when you flag content, you can explain how the content breaks the platform’s rules and why it should be removed.

We Will Draft & Share an Engagement Agreement

An engagement letter agreement simply outlines what services you are retaining Minc Law to do, what the starting costs will be, and how you will be billed. The agreement will outline both of our respective duties throughout the course of representation.

Video: What is a Legal Engagement Letter, and How Do I Read It?

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If your consult is successful, we will then send you a copy of our engagement agreement on the same day as your consult or within 24 business hours for you to review.

The agreement will be sent to you for an electronic signature by email via Adobe Sign, so you will want to keep an eye out for an email from echo.sign@echo.sign. The Adobe Sign program enables you to securely review and sign the agreement from any smartphone, tablet, or computer.

When you receive the engagement agreement, you will also receive an accompanying email from a Minc Law paralegal explaining the agreement and signing process. Your paralegal will be able to answer any questions you have about the agreement before signing.

You Can Review Your Engagement Agreement

We ask that all clients take the time to thoroughly read over their engagement agreement before signing. If you have any questions, we encourage you to speak with your paralegal or we can schedule a follow-up call with your attorney.

Engagement agreements are not binding on either party until signed. You are not obligated to take any action unless you feel Minc Law is a good fit for you and your internet issue. That is why our consultations are “no-obligation,” so that you retain the freedom to make your own informed choice before engaging contractually with us.

Only if and when you are ready to proceed with retaining Minc Law will you sign the agreement and submit payment. We provide a credit card form with all of our engagement agreements for your convenience, but also accept payment by wire transfer, ACH, or check. We do have financing options available as well. If interested just ask the paralegal you are working with for more information.

Once you submit your signed agreement and initial payment, we take care of the rest! The paralegal assigned to your case will immediately begin setting up your matter in our system. For most clients, time is of the essence, so we act promptly to move things forward as quickly as possible.

We Welcome You to the Firm After Your Retain Us

Once you retain us and we have you set up in our system, we will officially welcome you to the Minc Law family. You will receive a formal welcome email containing all the contact information for the attorney handling your case. The welcome email will also outline the next steps in your case going forward.

Oftentimes, your attorney will want to schedule a follow-up call with you right away so that they can begin working on your matter promptly. If this is the case you’ll typically receive a request to schedule that meeting in the welcome email you receive.

On the administrative side, we will enter your legal matter into our system and we begin preserving any evidence important to your case. This generally includes all evidence of online posts and other documents through a paid litigation tool called Page Vault. This tool allows us to fully preserve, timestamp and URL stamp the evidence in case it’s needed later for court.

For clients that sign up for our Digital Risk Protection service, we also send you an onboarding email and questionnaire to fill out to create your profile for comprehensive brand monitoring and privacy protection throughout your legal representation. If you are interested in learning how our Digital Risk Protection Services work as an internet security system for your digital assets and reputation, check out our articles “What is Digital Risk Protection (DRP)? DRP Benefits & Features Explained“, and “Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Risk Protection“.

Schedule a Free, No-Obligation Consultation With Us Today

Now that you know exactly what happens during and after a Minc Law consultation, you can make an informed decision whether our firm is the right fit for you. That is what our consultations are all about – helping you make an informed decision about your internet issue.

★★★★★

Minc was easy to contact and replied to my questions quickly and kept me up to date on my status. Communications was a bonus. Success with the outcome was icing on the cake.

Daren G., Apr 14, 2020

If you are ready to move forward, or find out more about your legal options, contact us to schedule a free consultation today.

Still have questions regarding Minc Law, our services, or our process? We highly recommend checking out our video below, which covers the answers to our 6 most frequently asked questions by clients, including definitions, what type of attorneys we are, whether we can represent clients in different states (and countries), how we locate anonymous online perpetrators, pricing, and more.

Video: Top 6 Client Questions We Get at Minc Law

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