For Potential Clients
1. Call the office (512.381-9955) and tell the person answering the phone the following: "I am a potential client calling in an emergency."
2. You will be asked, "What is the nature of your emergency?"
3. Succinctly state one of the following scenarios:
-I need to get somebody out of jail
-A police officer is wanting me to answer questions
-The police are at my house with a warrant
4. Do not go into the full details of what is happening (if time is critical you don't want to have to repeat the facts).
5. Listen to the specific questions being asked about your identifying information and the person you are trying to help. You may be asked to stay on the line or we will ask if it is okay that we call you back in a few minutes as we must first make sure that we don't have a conflict with your case. (For example, if we have ever represented a client that is involved in the current emergency, we will probably not be able to handle your case as a result of our duty of lifetime loyalty to our existing or previous client).
6. If there is no conflict, we will gather the pertinent details of your emergency, calculate the costs of an initial retainer to begin working, and begin work once we have your authorization.
For Existing Clients
Our cellphone numbers and emergency contact information should be in your client binder. If you haven't programmed those numbers in your phone, call the office (512.381-9955) and let Rose know that you have an emergency. If the primary lawyer on your case is not available, Rose will track down the next best person to handle your crisis until your primary counsel is available.
For Lawyers
1. Call our main number (512.381-9955). During business hours, immediately inform the person answering the telephone that you are a lawyer and need to speak to one of the lawyers immediately. If we are in court, Rose or Sarah will give you each of our cellphone numbers.
2. After business hours, each one of us shares a rotation on call. Let the answering service know that it is an emergency and you will immediately be patched through to one of us, no matter what time of night.
3. If you are able to speak with the person on whose behalf you are called, advise them to take the most conservative route possible: have them invoke their right to counsel (not their 5th amendment right to silence), advise them to provide their true name and identifying documentation, and do not allow them to consent to any search or make any statement until first consulting with you or another lawyer.
|
