Blue John Gear Law Office LLC logo with phone number 503-569-7777

Tired of same-old, same-old in board training? John Gear offers memorable and informative nonprofit presentations -- keynotes, workshops, seminars, half- or full-day training.
"John, thanks for giving a great presentation!  It was engaging and informative – exactly the style we needed with pertinent information."

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Are there free initial consults?































How can we help you?

"I do not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but I believe the gentleman to be an attorney."
-- Samuel Johnson

 Very rarely.  Initial consults are usually $370.

"Free" consults means charging other people to pay for the time spent offering "free" consults to others. I prefer to just offer transparent, honest pricing.

I almost always require advance payment of an initial consult fee, which is set at one hour at my standard hourly rate of $360 (2024).

This covers opening a file and an initial consult of up to an hour (additional charges only if the consult runs significantly more than an hour).

So new consult clients should expect to pay $360 in advance before the first meeting if paying the fee by check, with a non-refundable $10 charge for credit card payments. (See note on credit cards below.) If you want to use a debit card or credit card for the initial consult, I add the processing charge to the consult fee ($10 ~ 3%). That way, only the people who use  cards pay for the card processing service.
 
If you hire this office for case where a contingent fee arrangement makes sense, I still require the initial consult fee, but then apply it towards your case costs deposit (which is generally in the range of $500 - $1,000 for smaller cases). 

In this practice, we mainly help people who are having problems as consumers or employees, and elders (or families with elders) with estate planning or life care issues.  

We also have an active practice serving nonprofit organizations in all phases, from the initial idea through formation and obtaining IRS recognition as an exempt organization, and then helping the nonprofit grow, and thrive -- and sometimes helping with mergers and  dissolutions.

We also help adults of any age to plan for the unexpected and for their end of life issues, and for planning their affairs to best serve those they leave behind.

• Consumer and employee law:  We have built up a good deal of expertise to help people anticipate and avoid legal problems by understanding how the law affects them and what they need to do to get the results they want.
  
  But sometimes legal problems can't be avoided, such as when someone treats you unfairly and you need to respond.  Sadly, among the many reputable businesses who pride themselves on treating everyone fairly, there are a few others, who often try to take advantage of their customers and even their employees at every opportunity. 
  
  Many lawyers promise to be aggressive and to fight for you to the bitter end.  It's an easy promise to make, and it can even be helpful sometimes.  What is more important though is finding an attorney who will put helping you ahead of "fighting for you," even if it means the attorney sees much less in fees.
  
  Sure, in rare cases, a legal brawl is the only thing that will do the job to protect your rights.  But a lot of time, not.    If you find yourself being treated unfairly or taken advantage of, our goal is doing what's best for you to see that you are made whole, as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
  
  
• Elder law:  Life-care and end-of-life planning and preparations for seniors and adults with disabilities.  This includes working with families and caregivers to ensure that the planning is carried out properly, and working with younger adults and families throughout their lives to ensure that their interests are protected in the event of disability and their wishes are carried out after death.
  
  
• Counsel and guidance for nonprofits about organizational form, incorporation, strategic planning, and organizational policies and procedures, all designed to reduce risk and maximize organizational effectiveness while creating satisfied customers and stakeholders and eliminating causes of complaints.
  
  As wise nonprofit leaders know, the "nonprofit" is just a tax status.  Nonprofits have to be every bit as sharp, well-organized, and responsive as for-profit businesses; AND they have to comply with additional restrictions and limitations that stem from the decision to incorporate as a nonprofit.
  
  John Gear Law Office offers nonprofits very experienced counsel in the realm of organizational design, development, documentation, and demonstrated operational management techniques.  From the initial idea through the successful launch and operation of your nonprofit, I can advise you about the pitfalls and the opportunities both.
  
  

  Also accepting matters relating to

• Strategic planning and communications

• Legislative and administrative issues
• Policy tracking and advocacy
• Dispute mediation
• Privacy
• Government transparency
• Freedom of Information/Public Records
• Open Meetings Act issues
• Civil liberties
• Unemployment insurance benefits
• Other administrative appeals
• Veteran's benefits

 

Like any professional service, legal advice and representation isn't free. If we don't make enough money providing services that people value, we won't be able to provide any services at all before long.

But we know the pressures clients face when seeking legal help. Before we work together to address your legal issues, we are happy to reach a fee agreement that you can feel good about: one that is clear, fair, and predictable. 

When possible, we will try to offer you a fixed, value-based fee for a fixed task, such as when drafting documents and providing limited consults. We can't always commit to a fixed fee though, and when that's the case, we are happy to discuss the factors in your case would require such a large fixed fee that it wouldn't make sense.