Our goal is to provide first-class legal advice
within a compact and affordable format
We have worked with over a thousand online clients (in addition to decades of office practice) and have an established online consultation process we ask that inquirers follow. The feedback we receive is quite positive.
All new clients and cases are accepted exclusively by means of an online consult. The introductory consult is not offered in-office.
After submitting the client inquiry form on the Contact page:
(1) be sure that we have told you that we are available to consult on the legal matter you wish to discuss (we may have already indicated this in our response) since we screen inquiries to make sure they are the type of cases we usually handle;
(2) make advance payment on the payment page of the website at lonestarlandlaw.com/payment; and
(3) supply factual background, relevant documents, and a list of any questions you have.
No scheduling or fixed appointment time is required. The consultation lasts up to one hour and must be completed within 3 business days. It then concludes automatically.
The quantity and scope of the inquiry must be such that it can reasonably and realistically be addressed within the one-hour time frame.
We begin with an email exchange and discussion so our attorney can gather basic facts and copies of relevant documents. This is an essential first step in our process.
An optional call may be scheduled afterward if needed. We do not jump straight to a phone call without first gathering basic facts and documents by email.
Some inquirers seek a free phone call with our attorney before the consultation. Such calls inevitably involve time and legal questions so we view them as consultations. We regret that we are unable to offer any free attorney time, whether online, in the office, or by phone.
We are usually available to promptly begin work after receiving a summary of basic facts, copies of documents, and payment. This varies with complexity and backlog. We try to be flexible and ask that you be flexible as well.
We need a concise summary from the client. What is your case about, briefly? Who is involved? Where do events occur? In Texas? Which city or county? When? What is the timeline? Why are you seeking legal assistance?
If you are a real estate investor or business person, what is your business model? What type of transactions do you do? What is your entity structure? Your plans for the future?
Email attachments should be in pdf, Word, WordPerfect, Excel, or other common software. Do not send documents in the physical mail. Please avoid jpeg or i-phone photos of documents and do not apply any form of encryption. The time it takes for us to read and analyze your supporting documents is included in the time allotted to your consultation.
A $250 introductory consult fee is available to most new clients in general real estate and asset protection matters. Advance payment is required. However, please do not make payment until we have confirmed that we are able to accept and advise upon your case. The initial consultation fee is a flat fee and not subject to hourly accounting. It is not credited toward future services.
Payment options are on the website at: lonestarlandlaw.com/payment.
The $250 introductory consult fee is not available for: (1) matters in excess of $1M (for these, the consult fee is the same as our usual hourly rate of $450 with a one hour minimum); or (2) matters that are very complex or document-heavy. These cannot be handled in an intro consult format. More on complex cases below.
If it is determined very early in the process that your legal matter is not within our area of practice, we will gladly and promptly provide a full refund by means of a law firm check sent by U.S. Mail. However, there is no refund once the attorney expends time and effort examining a file and discussing it with the client. Once this occurs, a consultation has occurred. Similarly, the consult fee is a unitary flat fee that is not broken up into refundable portions. Finally, there is no refund if the legal advice is unfavorable to the client or we decline to handle the case going forward.
An online consultation is intended to substitute for the same time one would spend with an attorney if one went to his law office for an hour. The consultation may last up to the prescribed time limit (1 hour) over a period not to exceed 3 consecutive business days, when it automatically concludes. It is not a three-day consultation. It is a one-hour consult that may be spread out over three days.
We will of course extend the three-day limit if our responses are delayed on our end for some reason (by an unusually heavy workload, for example). This can occasionally happen.
We do not offer consultations or any other legal services by text. While texting may be suitable for casual communications, texting of sentence fragments and one-liners is not suitable for a nuanced legal case. Please use a keyboard device and take your time.
We do not offer group consultations with multiple persons at different email addresses. Group discussions may work in a law office conference room but they quickly become chaotic and unproductive by email. We work with one client at one email address.
We cannot guarantee that a consultation will offer a remedy for your legal issue, nor can we guarantee that our guidance will be what you want to hear. Occasionally, we have to deliver difficult legal advice. We sometimes have to tell clients that there is no easy remedy. Also, consultations are offered with the understanding that our firm is not obligated to accept or handle the case going forward.
A consultation is a stand-alone value-added legal service rendered for a flat fee. It does not include other services such as document preparation, nor does a document request include a free consultation. All are separate items in a flat-fee system.
It is important to be realistic and reasonable about the quantity and scope of material that can be discussed. Not every legal problem can be analyzed and solved in a one-hour introductory consultation. This is especially true in complex matters or cases involving many documents (since the time it takes the attorney to read documents is included in the hour).
In complex cases, we may respectfully decline to proceed with an introductory consult and instead:
(1) ask the client to please narrow the scope of the inquiry so the consultation can reasonably fit within an hour.
(2) offer to proceed at our $450 hourly rate (usually with a two-hour non-refundable minimum). Note that in the case of hourly billing periodic advance retainer installments will be required since we do not send bills after the fact. Retainers may not reach zero unless the case is concluding.
(3) or issue a full refund so long as the legal advisory process has not yet begun.
The requirement of government-issued photo ID is now universal at law firms, medical offices, and other professional firms everywhere. Fraud is rampant. We do not work with anyone who declines to provide ID.
Traditional business hours apply (Monday through Friday, 8-5 CST) subject to our posted vacation schedule. After-hours and weekend emails are considered received on the next business day.
We realize this is the internet. However, inquirers who are rude to staff, overly entitled, insulting, demanding, disrespectful, or belligerent (yes, this unfortunately happens) will be terminated. Please be courteous and professional.
Please read our firm’s complete terms of service at our Fees & Policies page. These apply without exception to all inquirers and clients. By proceeding you indicate unconditional agreement.
Thank you for reviewing this material. We look forward to consulting on your legal issues.
“David Willis is an excellent attorney. His online process was very efficient and easy. He is by far the easiest attorney I’ve ever dealt with. I give him my highest possible recommendation without reservation.”
“It was a delight to work with David via the online process. He is straightforward, very knowledgeable and very responsive. I received quality legal documents from him. His fees are very reasonable as well. I would recommend him in a heartbeat!”
