CLIENT UPDATE
Published for the Clients and Friends of Zegarelli Associates Professional Corporation

OUR GOAL

At Zegarelli Associates, we are very proud of our clientele, and we are delighted that you have chosen us to provide your legal representation. We are determined to provide you with the very best legal services. To that end, we have defined our four-goal mission:

1. Quality. To provide you with the highest quality legal services. To provide legal services by taking advantage of the latest laws and technologies.

2. Responsiveness. To be responsive to your needs and deadlines. To be prompt in returning phone calls. To implement your suggestions for improving our service.

3. Personability. To be personable, so that you enjoy your relationship with the members of the firm. In a subtle way, to let you know that we appreciate the responsibility with which you have entrusted us, and to let you know we care about solving your legal issues.

4. Value. To provide the legal services that you need in a cost-effective manner, and with due consideration for your budget.

If we ever miss our mark, please let us know—it is always our goal to satisfy your legal needs.

AREAS OF SERVICE

Zegarelli Associates conducts a diverse general practice of law in a variety of areas, but concentrates in transaction-oriented legal issues. For example, Zegarelli Associates concentrates in:

• The avant-garde areas of law, such as computer law, copyright law, media and advertising law, trademark law, trade secrets, and commercial transactions.

• Business representation, including corporations, partnerships, proprietorships, formations, mergers and acquisitions, financings, franchising, and employment issues. We have excellent associations with a number of support businesses to assist you, such as accountants, insurance companies and computer specialists. Our client base can be a networking opportunity itself.

• General practice and commercial litigation. Real estate issues, such as closings on the purchase of commercial and residential real estate. Drafting and review of leases. Consent divorces, including the property settlement issues. Estate issues, such as drafting wills and the administration of estates.

To best serve you, we retain specialty counsel to assist you with your legal needs relating to criminal law, personal injury law, and child custody law. Retaining specialty counsel, only when necessary, permits us to concentrate on the transactional aspects of the law.

We are pleased that referrals from clients have been our greatest source of new client relationships.

COMMUNICATING WITH US

Communication is the essence of working with your legal representatives. At Zegarelli Associates, we take advantage of the latest technologies to allow you to communicate with us in more ways than any other law firm of which we are aware.

Electronic Bulletin Board. Zegarelli Associates maintains a 24-hour public electronic bulletin board service (the "BBS"). If you have a computer and a modem, you can connect with the BBS and leave electronic mail, and transfer legal documents. To take advantage of this exciting service, just let us know so that we can give you a personal password and private message and file transfer area. Numerous clients have indicated how much they appreciate being able to obtain their documents from the BBS, so that they can edit the documents as necessary at their offices.

Telecopier. Zegarelli Associates maintains a 24-hour telecopier/facsimile. If you do not have a telecopier, consider using a quick printer. Most quick printers now offer public telecopier services.

CompuServe. Zegarelli Associates is a member of CompuServe Information Service. CompuServe is considered to be the foremost computerized information exchange. CompuServe also permits access to Dun & Bradstreet, Telex, MCI Mail and other similar services used for international and domestic business transactions. Our identification number is 71031,2001.

Voice Mail. After general business hours, you can leave a detailed voice mail message to any person in the office. To access a mailbox, dial the personal extension of the person you are calling. For ease of reference, the personal extension of every person is usually the last 4 digits of that person's personal telephone number. For example, if the telephone number of the person you are calling is 765-0401, then the extension would be 0401. If your message is an emergency, dial the extension 0911, which will cause the system to automatically attempt to page an attorney. You may obtain additional information by dialing the extension 1212. You may enter the extension as soon as the greeting begins—you do not have to listen to the entire greeting.

PAYMENT METHODS

Based upon our experience, clients have a variety of individual circumstances that require different payment opportunities. We are pleased to offer excellent rate structures, and a number of payment opportunities that can be tailored to your individual needs.

Retainers. Generally, fees for legal services accrue at an hourly rate. However, if you are reasonably sure that you will need a minimum volume of work during any six-month period, then you can establish a retainer and obtain up to a 25% discount on legal fees. Retainers begin at a minimum of 30 hours per retainer period (5 hours per month) up to a minimum of 120 hours (20 hours per month). Because your retainer rate is secured for all hours worked—even hours worked beyond the minimum volume—retainers can provide a significant savings. We will even provide you with a copy of our own in-house software package, Retracker^TM, to help you budget and plan your use of the retainer opportunity.

Trade. If you believe that you offer goods and/or services that may be needed by Zegarelli Associates, then we may be able to develop a whole or partial trade relationship.

Equity. Clients with an excellent potential for growth, but limited financial strength, may determine that it is in the best interests of the company and the shareholders to pay for legal services by granting equity in the company. While it is the standard policy of the firm to advise against such arrangements, we will entertain your request in certain circumstances to assist you.

Contingencies; Pro Bono. Because of recent attorney television advertising, you may be under the impression that litigation is always performed on a contingency basis, i.e. the "we don't get paid unless we get money for you" scenario. Generally, that payment structure is used only for personal injury litigation—not business or transactional litigation. This fact is the result of the way that damages are measured for different types of litigation. However, if you are in a financial bind, and a successful outcome is probable, then we will entertain a request for a contingency-based engagement. Also, if you or someone you know needs emergency legal assistance for non-business related matters, but has insufficient financial capability to pay our usual fees, then we will consider performing services on a pro bono basis.

Payment; Charge Cards. We truly appreciate when invoices are paid in a timely manner. We accept all major credit cards at no cost to you. If you cannot pay within the terms of your engagement letter, then please inform us so that we can work with you in developing a reasonable payment plan.

All in all, we understand your needs, and we will work with you to provide the necessary legal services. Call us if you would like to discuss payment opportunities.

TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS

One of the most interesting services that we offer is the ability to perform preliminary computerized trademark research in the office—generally for less than $50 per search. Because we have the technological ability to perform this research in the office, we can often save you hundreds of dollars. Before you use a new business name, or product or service name, seriously consider having us perform this research. You not only save considerably on our in-house search costs, but the search information could save you thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of dollars later.

PUBLICATIONS AND SEMINARS

We are pleased to offer a number of legal seminars and legal publications. If you are interested in receiving information about current publications and upcoming seminars, please contact the office so that we can send you further information.

COMPUTERIZED DOCKET

To ensure that we provide you with the proper protection for performing legal services, we have developed an in-house software package to track the schedule of your various due dates and filing deadlines. For example, a state filing this year may require a renewal filing in the year 2010. A "docket" is basically a legal term for a schedule of deadlines. If you need a copy of your docket at any time, please let us know.

QUESTIONS

If you ever have a question or suggestion, please call us. Lisa Davis, Legal Coordinator, can explain the status of your docket, work in process, or the time-line for a legal procedure.

Articles and information are for general information only, and often address issues, without expressly indicating, in generalizations. Laws vary between and among jurisdictions.  You should not rely upon any information provided by or on the website, including articles, as applicable to your particular situation. The law, filing fees, etc., change often, so the information in this document may not be current. The laws of various jurisdictions may be different than provided here.  Please contact us at info@zegarelli.com if you are interested in becoming our client--only then would this office be in the position to provide advise with regard to your particular situation.  It is important for you to review Terms of Use.

Z e g a r e l l i
Home Page (click here)

Zegarelli Law Group Profile

Corporate Office:
429 Forbes Avenue, 12th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1616
Voice: 412.765.0400
Fax: 412.765.0531

Join Mailing List
Give Feedback

Get More Information
Contact Webmaster