How to Get Started
Reaching out about a family law matter can feel like a big step. How you begin depends on what you need from us. Both paths are described below.
FORMATTING OPTION ONE
Applies to
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Three
Referral Note
Advocacy Matters
This process applies when you are hiring us to represent you, including family law litigation, estate planning, and retirement orders.
Start with a Quick Intake Form. You will complete a short, secure form that helps us understand your situation and check for any conflicts of interest. This ensures we can move forward ethically and effectively with a consultation.
Schedule and Pay for a Consultation. If there are no conflicts, you will receive a link to schedule a virtual consultation at a time that works for you. If you do not see a time that works for your schedule, please reach out by telephone to determine whether other options are available. A consultation fee is required to reserve your appointment, and that fee covers the time you will spend with the attorney.
We kindly require at least 24 hours notice to cancel or reschedule, as missed or late-cancelled appointments will not be refunded.
Meet Virtually with the Attorney. Your consultation lasts up to 60 minutes. The attorney will gather additional background information, discuss your concerns, answer your questions, and provide initial legal guidance. Whether or not you decide to move forward, our goal is for you to leave with greater clarity and confidence.
Next Steps, Clearly Outlined. If your matter is one we can assist with, we will send you a personalized Fee Agreement outlining the scope of services, retainer fees, and how to proceed.
Please note: an attorney-client relationship is not formed, and work will not begin on your case, until both the signed Fee Agreement and initial retainer payment are received by Zadjura Family Law.
Neutral Matters
This process applies to mediation and parent coordination. In these matters we serve as a neutral. We do not represent either party, and there is no consultation, because a consultation is a conversation with one side.
Start with a Quick Intake Form. Either party may begin the process. The form asks which service you are inquiring about and requires the names of both parties, which allows us to run a conflict check before anything else happens. We cannot serve as a neutral in a matter where either party has previously consulted with us in an advocacy capacity, and the same restriction applies to any mediator working with the firm.
Conflict Check and Confirmation. Once the form is received, we run the conflict check. If a conflict exists, we will let you know that we cannot take the matter. If there is no conflict, we contact both parties at the same time with the same information about process, scheduling, and fees. Sending identical information to both parties simultaneously is how the process stays neutral from the first contact forward.
Agreement and Retainer. Both parties receive the Mediation Agreement or the Parent Coordination Agreement, depending on the service, setting out the scope of the engagement, the fee structure, and the terms under which we serve as a neutral. Scheduling does not begin, and no paperwork is sent, until the signed agreement and retainer are received. Both parties must complete this step before the matter moves forward.
Scheduling and the Session. Once the agreement and retainer are in place, our office coordinates scheduling with both parties and sends the pre-session paperwork to both at the same time. Mediation sessions are structured conversations in which both parties work toward their own agreement. Parent coordination engagements are ongoing rather than one-time, and the schedule is set based on what the family needs. In either role, we guide the process and neither party is advised, advocated for, or represented.
Please note: the Mediation Agreement and the Parent Coordination Agreement do not create an attorney-client relationship with either party. We do not provide legal advice in these roles. Each party is free to consult with their own attorney at any point in the process, and many do.
FORMATTING OPTION TWO
Advocacy Matters
This process applies when you are hiring us to represent you, including family law litigation, estate planning, and retirement orders.
-
You will complete a short, secure form that helps us understand your situation and check for any conflicts of interest. This ensures we can move forward ethically and effectively with a consultation.
-
If there are no conflicts, you will receive a link to schedule a virtual consultation at a time that works for you. If you do not see a time that works for your schedule, please reach out by telephone to determine whether other options are available. A consultation fee is required to reserve your appointment, and that fee covers the time you will spend with the attorney.
We kindly require at least 24 hours notice to cancel or reschedule, as missed or late-cancelled appointments will not be refunded.
-
Your consultation lasts up to 60 minutes. The attorney will gather additional background information, discuss your concerns, answer your questions, and provide initial legal guidance. Whether or not you decide to move forward, our goal is for you to leave with greater clarity and confidence.
-
If your matter is one we can assist with, we will send you a personalized Fee Agreement outlining the scope of services, retainer fees, and how to proceed.
-
Please note: an attorney-client relationship is not formed, and work will not begin on your case, until both the signed Fee Agreement and initial retainer payment are received by Zadjura Family Law.
-
Attorneys referring a retirement order matter may reach out directly by telephone or email rather than through the intake form.
Neutral Matters
This process applies to mediation and parent coordination. In these matters we serve as a neutral. We do not represent either party, and there is no consultation, because a consultation is a conversation with one side.
-
Either party may begin the process. The form asks which service you are inquiring about and requires the names of both parties, which allows us to run a conflict check before anything else happens. We cannot serve as a neutral in a matter where either party has previously consulted with us in an advocacy capacity, and the same restriction applies to any mediator working with the firm.
-
Once the form is received, we run the conflict check. If a conflict exists, we will let you know that we cannot take the matter. If there is no conflict, we contact both parties at the same time with the same information about process, scheduling, and fees. Sending identical information to both parties simultaneously is how the process stays neutral from the first contact forward.
-
Both parties receive the Mediation Agreement or the Parent Coordination Agreement, depending on the service, setting out the scope of the engagement, the fee structure, and the terms under which we serve as a neutral. Scheduling does not begin, and no paperwork is sent, until the signed agreement and retainer are received. Both parties must complete this step before the matter moves forward.
-
Once the agreement and retainer are in place, our office coordinates scheduling with both parties and sends the pre-session paperwork to both at the same time. Mediation sessions are structured conversations in which both parties work toward their own agreement. Parent coordination engagements are ongoing rather than one-time, and the schedule is set based on what the family needs. In either role, we guide the process and neither party is advised, advocated for, or represented.
-
Please note: the Mediation Agreement and the Parent Coordination Agreement do not create an attorney-client relationship with either party. We do not provide legal advice in these roles. Each party is free to consult with their own attorney at any point in the process, and many do.