Frequently Asked Questions
Retaining a law firm is an important decision that will impact the success of your business. Here are some of the questions our clients have asked before choosing to work with Benjamin Law Offices.
Why should I work with Benjamin Law Offices versus another law firm?
- In many firms, the senior partner might bring in the business, but you may have a much less experienced associate doing the work. Our firm comprises two senior partner attorneys with more than 30 years of experience. Every client has access to our attention and experience.
- In our 30 years, we have worked closely as outside general counsel with clients in numerous industries. Therefore, we have not only the legal expertise but also understand the business and legal issues for numerous industries. We can answer your questions and also advise you of industry-specific compliance issues of which you may be unaware.
- Many firms have a lot of overhead with support staff and lease obligations. We keep our expenses low and pass along those cost savings to our clients. We typically charge less than the market hourly rate to our clients.
- We are solution-oriented and experienced at solving problems. We seek to reach resolutions to legal problems in a way that is best for the business’ bottom line.
Why should I hire you if I can form my entity or draft a contract using online resources?
While there are many online forms for entity formation or contracts (among other legal tasks), they are no substitute for experienced legal counsel who can provide an individualized assessment of your legal needs. It has been our experience that those forms only help with initial steps in business formation or transactions and do not cover all legal issues or steps necessary to comply with California law.
Is Benjamin Law Offices tech savvy, and does the firm use AI?
Benjamin Law Offices uses sophisticated law practice management software that includes a client portal for sharing information, documents and bills. All our bills are sent electronically, and clients have the option to pay by check, e-check, ACH, debit card or credit card. Additionally, we use AI, including the Lexis Nexis Protégé platform, when it can reduce the amount of time for certain tasks. However, we find that it is vitally important to do legal research and writing ourselves and thoroughly check any output by AI.
Our company/case is not located in Sacramento. Why should we hire Benjamin Law Offices instead of local counsel?
Benjamin Law Offices frequently represents national companies with business in California, as well as California companies located outside Sacramento. Most cases are digitalized, and appearances are by video conference, making it less important to be local. It’s more important to work with a law firm that is experienced, affordable and a good fit for your business.
Do you represent employees?
No. We limit our services to representing only employers in labor and employment disputes and litigation.
What types of creditors do you represent?
We represent all types of creditors from individuals to large national banks. Benjamin Law Offices can engage in commercial collections and judgment enforcement in any county of California and often represents such creditors in any of their California matters.
Do you represent debtors in disputes with creditors or in bankruptcy? Do you handle consumer collections?
No. We limit our services to representing only creditors in commercial law disputes and bankruptcy cases. Furthermore, we only represent creditors in commercial collections and do not get involved in consumer collections.
We have an experienced HR department. Why should we hire Benjamin Law Offices?
We often work closely with human resource professionals to help them do their job. We are available to answer any questions that arise. We also help HR departments with risk management to prevent lawsuits. If a lawsuit occurs, we have the expertise to represent the company in court, including administrative hearings, arbitrations and mediations. Entities such as corporations and limited liability companies cannot appear in court on their own behalf; they must be represented by counsel.
We are a smaller business and were sued by an employee. Lawyers are so expensive, and we resent having to pay money to defend a meritless action. Why shouldn’t we try to handle the case ourselves?
We understand how frustrating it is to be sued, especially when the case seems to have no merit. And we also understand that it can be frustrating paying lawyers when you would rather spend the money developing and running your business. However, some lawsuits can be “extinction-level events” for companies, and it is important to have experienced counsel representing the company. The company may have legal defenses of which you are unaware that could dramatically alter the outcome of the case. Also, it is important not to “roll over” to settle every employee lawsuit or you may find your company to be a litigation target. Benjamin Law Offices will assess the facts and law of the particular case and provide you with all of the available options and a litigation budget.
We have business insurance such as Employment Practices Liability Insurance, Commercial General Liability Insurance or Directors and Officers Liability Insurance. Can we hire Benjamin Law Offices to defend us?
Possibly. Many insurance policies allow the insured to select counsel of the insured’s choice subject to approval by the insurance carrier. Benjamin Law Offices has served as insurance defense counsel in numerous litigation matters and has been approved by a variety of insurance companies as insurance defense counsel. If the policy doesn’t allow for the insured to select counsel, we often coordinate tender of the defense to the insurance carrier and manage the litigation until the insurance carrier appoints counsel.
We received a demand letter seeking over $100,000 for a former employee from some law firm in Southern California. It’s not litigation, so we don’t need a lawyer, right?
Actually, that’s a case where an attorney can be very helpful. How you deal with demand letters can affect whether the law firm and its client take the next step to commence a subsequent court action or arbitration. Also, the demand letter may be a trigger to examine the company’s business and employment practices.
How do you bill for work?
We typically bill hourly for legal work. In some cases, we may consider a general monthly retainer for business and employment law counseling.
How can I pay my bill?
We try to make it as easy as possible to pay in a way that works for you and your business. Our bills are sent electronically, and clients merely need to click on a link in the bill to pay through a secure, PCI-compliant, third-party platform by e-check, debit or credit card. Alternatively, we take payment by ACH and physical checks mailed to our mailing address.
Do you have a brick-and-mortar location?
Benjamin Law Offices has a virtual law office address at the iconic Ice Blocks at R Street in Midtown Sacramento. The Ice Blocks office space is a model of architectural sophistication in the Sacramento market. We can hold conferences and meetings at that location and use their co-working space. However, we find that modern law practice does not require permanent brick-and-mortar locations because most meetings are by phone or Zoom, documents are exchanged with clients by email or file sharing platforms, litigation documents are filed and served digitally, and most court appearances and depositions are conducted by videoconference. This model allows us to charge competitive billing rates to our clients.