Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to many of our most frequently asked questions. For questions not covered here, please contact us for a telephone consultation.

General FAQs

• A contractor I hired has damaged my property, or failed to perform according to his contract. What can I do?
• I’m a contractor who did work for someone who will not pay. What can I do?
• I am a landlord and need help evicting a bad tenant. What do I do?
• I’ve received a Notice and Order, what do I do next?
• Can you help me with my business needs such as reviewing contracts, starting a corporation, buying a business or selling a business?
• Do I need an attorney to write a will or do estate planning for me?
• Can you help me buy or sell commercial real estate?
• I am getting sued; do I need an attorney?
• Can I handle probate without an attorney?
• What geographical areas does Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess cover?

FAQs Regarding Attorneys Fees

• How much does it cost to have a Tacoma or Seattle lawyer help me with a legal problem?
• Do you charge for an in-person consultation regarding litigation (i.e. I want to sue someone or am being sued)?
• How much does it cost to sue someone (or to sue a business)?

General FAQs

A contractor I hired has damaged my property, or failed to perform according to his contract. What can I do?

If you cannot resolve the dispute with the contractor, consider suing in small claims court for physical and monetary damages less than $5,000. For larger cases, please call for a phone consultation to discuss your options.

I’m a contractor who did work for someone who will not pay. What can I do?

If you cannot resolve the dispute, consider suing the customer in small claims court for disputes of less than $5,000. For cases involving larger dollar amounts, please call for a phone consultation to discuss your options, including filing a lien where the statutory notice requirements have been met.

I am a landlord and need help evicting a bad tenant. What do I do?

We can help with filing an unlawful detainer action to evict a tenant who has not paid rent or who is otherwise in breach of the lease. We can request a writ of restitution requiring the tenant to vacate the premises, and which can be enforced by the sheriff.

I’ve received a Notice and Order, what do I do next?

Call us for a phone consultation regarding this.

Can you help me with my business needs such as reviewing contracts, starting a corporation, buying a business or selling a business?

Absolutely. We’d love to help and have over 100 years of combined experience with these types of legal business matters and transactions.

Do I need an attorney to write a will or do estate planning for me?

An experienced attorney can help ensure that your will is clearly written and properly executed, which will reduce the likelihood of expensive litigation by heirs to contest the will. In addition, for those with significant assets, an attorney can help with an estate plan to reduce or eliminate taxes on your estate.

The following scenarios can sometimes increase the complexity of your estate plan, and may indicate an increased need for review by an attorney:

• multiple marriages;
• owning a business;
• significant net worth;
• real estate outside Washington;
• disinheriting a spouse or child;
• complicated family dynamics or history; etc.

An estate planning attorney can also prepare powers of attorney and health care directives (living wills) to simplify matters for family members when one becomes incapacitated or otherwise unable to handle his or her own affairs.

Can you help me buy or sell commercial real estate?

We have many years experience helping clients with negotiating and drafting contracts for both residential and commercial real estate transactions.

I am getting sued; do I need an attorney?

Although individuals are permitted to represent themselves, the law requires that you be held to the same standard as a licensed attorney. This means that you would be required to know all the court rules and procedures and be able to find and effectively argue the law in support of your position. If you have been served with a summons and complaint, you should contact an attorney without delay to ensure that your right to defend is preserved.

Can I handle probate without an attorney?

Although individuals are permitted to represent themselves, the law requires that you be held to the same standard as a licensed attorney. This means that you would be required to know all the court rules and procedures applicable to the probate. A standard, uncontested probate is generally not complex. Our attorneys would be happy to help you through the probate process.

What geographical areas does Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess cover?

We practice law throughout the state of Washington and have offices in Tacoma and Seattle. Our attorneys have appeared in court in multiple counties. We are most often in Pierce, King, Thurston, and Kitsap counties.

FAQs Regarding Attorney Fees

How much does it cost to have a Tacoma or Seattle lawyer help me with a legal problem?

When you are hiring an attorney, make sure you ask him/her how much their work will likely cost for the legal matter you are facing.

Generally, legal issues that involve disputes between two or more parties (such as construction disputes, real estate disputes, etc.) are much more expensive than matters that don’t involve a dispute (such as reviewing a contract, uncontested probates, forming a business, writing a contract, certain types of loan modifications, etc.).

On complicated legal matters where the attorney can’t give a good estimate on how much work he/she will have to do and how much it will cost, you can and should request frequent status updates to find out what progress has been made and how much it is costing you.

You can also set budgets and require status updates at specific cost thresholds. Remember that you hired your lawyer and they are working for you.

Do you charge for an in-person consultation regarding litigation (i.e. I want to sue someone or am being sued)?

Yes. Although we do not charge for the first 15 minutes of the initial phone consultation, we do generally charge for consultations in the office. The charge is based on the time spent and the attorney’s hourly rate. Our minimum charge $250 for an in-person consultation at our office.

How much does it cost to sue someone (or to sue a business)?

It is nearly impossible to predict how much a lawsuit will cost in terms of attorney’s fees. All litigation is billed based on the time spent and the attorney’s hourly rate. How much time the attorney needs to spend is dependent upon the complexity of the case and the actions of the opposing party or attorney.

Contact Us for a phone consultation!