How I Work

Business and Estate Planning attorneY, Admitted in Texas and California,

BASED IN austin, SERVING lakeway, bee caves, westlake Hills and all of texas

Law Office of David L. Howell

Partnering

The attorney-client relationship has traditionally been that of a service provider and service buyer. While a client might return to his or her attorney over the years as matters come up, each transaction seemed to be a discrete event. In the modern business world, a lawyer should be more of a partner with his client, and I hope to do this for you. I can be more effective as your attorney if I stop by your offices or shop, get a feel for the operation, and get a feel for what can go wrong, what matters might bear further discussion, etc. I want to help you succeed and the best way to do that is to really understand your business, how you work, and what your plans for future success may be.

Responsiveness

My goal is to reply to telephone calls and emails within two hours during normal business hours, and to emails within four hours evenings and weekends. I can only promise “best effort” as to after-hours calls.

Speed

I appreciate that things tend to move very quickly in the modern world, and too often work is expected to be done yesterday, or sooner if possible. While I cannot guarantee that level of speed, I can promise that complete estate plans can be completed - from interview to review of final documents within one week (this assumes the client is clear on what they want; dragging out consideration of certain elements like who gets what necessarily causes delays). A new business creation - drafting Articles of Incorporation/Organization and Bylaws/Operating Agreements can be a few days. In emergencies, turn around can be as quick as the same day, but additional ‘rush’ fees will apply.

Cost Containment

Cost is one of the most important considerations for families and businesses and can stand in the way of necessary legal help. My goal is to minimize costs to the greatest extent possible by eliminating a formal office and as much support staff as possible. I appreciate that there are job functions which I will be performing which are not really ‘lawyer’ jobs - so I will not charge ‘lawyer rates’ for non-lawyer work.

Some jobs can be done on a flat-rate basis (estate planning often works this way), and when possible I will try to do that. This type of pricing does not really work with open-ended job assignments, so it is not always available.

Close consultation with clients, and setting clear expectations are critical in managing costs, and I will do this with you.