Choosing an attorney can be challenging, whether you are an individual hiring for yourself or an in-house lawyer or executive hiring for your company. There are literally thousands of law firms in the marketplace – telling the difference between them is tough. Here are some things that often set us apart.

• We are a boutique. As a small, boutique firm, we obviously do not compete based on size. We are not a large firm with hundreds of lawyers. Rather, we compete based on the value that a highly focused firm can offer. Rather than practicing as "generalists," we have chosen a set of related practice areas focused on business and real-estate law. As a result, our lawyers develop strong familiarity with certain areas of law – unlike some lawyers, ours do not try to be everything to everyone. For additional information, please see Legal Focus, Practice Areas and Representative Clients.
• We are responsive. We are generally available throughout the day by phone to answer questions and troubleshoot problems as they arise. If we are unavailable, we respond as quickly as possible. Often, we respond within hours. Of course, if we have long meetings, are in court, or are participating in a mediation or arbitration, that is not always possible. However, our policy is to respond the same day to clients. That is not the case with many lawyers. Be sure to see Client Rights and Core Values.
• We treat clients with courtesy. We truly care about our clients and their legal matters. We believe that attorneys should treat their clients with courtesy and consideration at all times.
• We charge reasonable fees. We acknowledge that clients have the right to be charged reasonable fees for legal services. We have priced ourselves competitively, and reasonably, taking into account the nature of our boutique practice, the focus and knowledge of our lawyers, and the value they bring to legal transactions and proceedings. At the same time, we are not the low-price leader. You can find cheaper lawyers. However, we don’t believe that you will find better value.
• We do not hide fees. Unlike many lawyers, we publish our hourly rates on the Internet. We do not hide them. We do not sell our services and then reveal pricing like a door-to-door salesperson might. We believe that attorney-client relationships should be built upon candor and trust from the beginning. Please see Legal Fees for further information.
• We keep clients informed and involved. We keep clients informed and involved in their legal matters. In fact, we consider ourselves to be "partners" with our clients. That means that clients receive copies of relevant documents. That means that we communicate with clients when there are significant developments. That means that clients are asked to participate in decision making. That means that our clients are not left out. In short, we take a collaborative approach to the practice of law.
• We respect clients’ legitimate objectives. We recognize that every client is the "boss." We recognize that we are providing a service. Therefore, we never compromise a client’s legitimate objectives. Our goal, in every engagement, is to achieve client goals in a cost-effective and proper manner. We ask clients to rely on our independent legal advice and counsel. However, that advice and counsel is always geared toward minimizing client risk and maximizing value.
• We maintain client privacy. We preserve the secrets and confidences of our clients to the extent provided by law. That is an ethical obligation that we take very seriously. In an era where there is encroachment on attorney-client privilege by federal legislation, we believe that lawyers must espouse and respect the unique fiduciary relationship between themselves and their clients. We always do.
• We conduct ourselves ethically and professionally. Yelling, using profanities, and general lack of professionalism may characterize a segment of the bar. However, it does not describe us. We conduct ourselves ethically and professionally. We acknowledge that our ethical and professional duties to our clients, opposing counsel, tribunals, and others include practicing law with civility, integrity, candor, diligence, respect, courtesy and competence. We are committed to zealously representing our clients within the boundaries of those obligations.
• We are local. We’re local counsel, based in San Jose, California, serving clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Moreover, our founding partners are local too. For example, Richard J. La Fleur was born and raised in Sunnyvale – he attended Santa Clara University School of Law. Similarly, Nader Robert Yasin was born and raised in San Jose – he attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, Santa Clara University and Santa Clara University School of Law. Our lawyers understand the Bay Area, its communities, its industries and its concerns. They also understand the legal and business environment of the Bay Area. From our office in San Jose, we effectively serve clients in the South Bay, along the peninsula, in the East Bay and in San Francisco. Please also see Office Location.

If you would like to discuss a particular legal matter, then please feel free to Contact Us. We are always interested in discussing engagements where we may be able to provide value.