Before your consultation
Frequently asked questions
Why run a conflict check before you read my documents?
Bar ethics rules prevent a firm from advising you where that would conflict with a current or former client in the same matter. Checking the names of every person and company involved first protects your confidentiality and existing client duties before any strategy is discussed.
Do you bill flat fees or by the hour?
Work with a well-defined scope, such as an estate plan, an LLC formation, an operating agreement or a standard commercial lease review, is quoted as a flat fee in writing up front. Contested disputes and complex negotiations, where the other side affects the time needed, are billed against an itemised trust retainer.
Is the $250 consultation fee credited if I go ahead?
Yes. If you retain a flat-fee transactional or estate planning package within 14 days of your strategy consultation, the $250 fee is credited towards the package. If you decide not to proceed, you still leave with a clear analysis of your options and deadlines.
What should I bring to the first consultation?
A short timeline of key dates and copies of any signed contracts, leases, demand letters, court notices, deeds or earlier wills connected to your question. Sending PDFs once the conflict check has cleared lets your attorney read the critical clauses before the hour starts.
Does using the contact form create an attorney-client relationship?
No. Sending an enquiry, or speaking briefly with the intake team to schedule and clear conflicts, does not make you a client. Representation begins only when you and Plainfield Counsel both sign a written engagement letter.
How long does an estate plan take?
Most individuals and couples finish within three to four weeks from consultation to notarised signing. Drafts and plain-English summaries follow the design meeting within ten business days, details are refined together, and the witnessed signing takes place at the office.
Will my dispute end up at trial?
Most civil and commercial disputes resolve through pre-suit negotiation or mediation rather than a full trial. Good settlements tend to follow when the other side sees trial-ready preparation, so every contested file is prepared that way from the start.
Can I meet remotely?
Yes. Consultations, contract redline walkthroughs and general counsel meetings can take place at the Indianapolis office or by encrypted video. Only documents that need wet-ink witnessing and notarisation, such as wills and some deeds, need an in-person signing.