You need help, and I understand. There is a wealth of free information on this site in the form of Frequently Asked Questions, Beth's Blog, Client "FYIS", Publications and Articles. If you spend some time on the site whatever you need may be there. Many have specific questions and I try to hit topics on the Blog that come up frequently in the questions you send me.

However, if you need a telephone consultation, I can arrange one. I can help any owner or Board "get their arms around" a problem and figure out a pragmatic way to deal with the issues.  If you are an individual, I can call you at home or work. If you are a group of individuals, a conference call can be arranged. And if you are a board, and you can gather around a table with a speaker phone, I can provide an attorney-client consultation, i.e., an executive session meeting by telephone, which in turn saves you the extra costs commonly involved in travel time and any wasted time. I also do "standby" blocks of time where, for a flat fee of $150 plus time on the telephone charged at my hourly rate, I will agree to be on standby and available for calls in any two hour window that is agreed, in case something comes up at a meeting and you could benefit by having an attorney "on call" to provide feedback.

WHAT I CAN DO IN THE WAY OF SERVICES: Often, people are just out there dealing with problems and do not have a clue which direction to turn. What I do is

• analyze documents and history on situations to determine rights, obligations and remedies that can be imposed
• help owners or neighbors or board members with complaints or problems to get their arms around the problem and chart out a course of action
•  write letters to Boards acting badly making appropriate demands and thus "educating" them about how to follow the law or fix a problem, which can be quite successful
• advise on review of records and documents and rights or legal obligations
• write demand letters to Owners acting badly and recite ramifications of continuing inappropriate behavior
• outline all possible remedies for a particular problem
• help directors or members deal with boards that seem dysfunctional, or vice versa (help boards with owners who have abandoned all reason
• give an honest assessment of legal standing and chances of prevailing (or losing) in any dispute, to the best of my ability given the information provided to me
• write policies, rules, procedures, documents, amend existing documents, and refine association practices
• review and provide opinions on contracts
• encourage the practice of preventive law
• advise on small claims remedies and help prepare cases
• act as a consultant with expertise in HOA law to litigation and insurance defense attorneys

WHAT I DO NOT DO: I do not conduct or defend litigation, and I do not travel to attend face to face meetings, ADR processes, small claims court appeals, etc. I do not act as an "attorney-locator" for anyone that does not consult with me as a client. I need to know what is going on before I will help someone find an attorney.

  [Please respect these guidelines - do not call me and ask me "if you have a case", expecting answers without arranging for a paid consultation.]

RATES: My rates are $325 per hour.

For any new individual client, there is a one hour minimum, paid up front. That covers a consultation call.  If there are documents to review, I will require a retainer of at least 2 hours ($650) and charge the time as it is used, again, with a 1 hour minimum. That amount might be higher depending on the documents you would want me to review. [DO NOT SEND ANY DOCUMENTS UNSOLICITED. AND UNDERSTAND THAT FACTS YOU SEND TO ME BY FAX OR EMAIL ARE NOT LEGALLY PROTECTED ATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS.]  If someone needs more in the way of services, I estimate the time for services given the facts, and require a retainer up front for the time that I believe will be involved. I do not give legal advice for free. For any new homeowners association, please call so I can find out what kind of services that you need.

Name of all Client/Participant(s):

_____________________________________________________________

Who you are: (HOA Board member, HO, attorney, other):

________________________________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Telephone No./Contact Information:___________________________________________

Fax Number for contact:________________________ email address:_____________________

Name of Association or Any Other Party That Might Be Involved, including attorneys:

____________________________________________________________________________

Name of Managing Agent (if none, put self-managed):

_____________________________________________________________________________

What is Your Relationship in/to the Association? (Board member, owner, manager, etc.):

_____________________________________________________________________________

Brief nature of problems/questions (subject matter only): Try to stick with 50 words or less.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

DOCUMENT REVIEW: My office is paperless. I accept only electronic files, faxed documents, and in selected cases, copies.  I do not accept any documents until an attorney-client relationship has been formed and I have agreed to provide services and receive documents. Tell me the documents you would like me to review:

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Tell me how you would plan to pay for services:

____ check (which would be mailed to the address below with instructions for calling you)

____ credit card (which information could be sent to me by fax or email)

You can:

FAX THE FORM TO: 925-215-8454        OR

EMAIL THE FORM TO: Califcondoguru@aol.com  OR

MAIL THE FORM TO THE ADDRESS BELOW:

BETH A. GRIMM, P.L.C. 3478 Buskirk Ave., Ste. 1000, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Ph. (925) 746-7177 Fax (925) 215-8454 email: Califcondoguru@aol.com

As soon as I have a chance to look at this form, I will contact you or send you an email about whether I can provide services. I will have to do a conflicts check so make sure that you list all potentially involved parties. It usually takes not more than a few days to provide a response, but it could take up to a week. You may call and tell me you sent it if you want to try and expedite a response.