Frequently Asked Questions

No. We are not licensed to practice in Illinois. We can, however, refer you to an Illinois attorney if you would like.

We predominantly practice in Saint Louis City, Saint Louis County, Saint Charles County, Jefferson County, Franklin County, and Lincoln County. Although these are our primary geographic practice areas, we can and will travel well beyond these counties if warranted.

Yes, and typically within 24 hours. It is frequently the case that you will obtain a quicker response via e-mail (henry@elsterlaw.com).

Initial consultations are always free. Subsequent consultations will be billed on either a flat fee or hourly basis.

Generally not. For professional conduct reasons, we cannot answer questions or provide legal advice via telephone or via e-mail absent an existing attorney-client agreement. We will generally only do otherwise if there are special or unusual circumstances.

Refer to the “Fees” link under the “Helpful Information” tab on this site. In short, fees can be handled on an hourly basis, flat fee basis, or a contingency basis. Depending upon the circumstances, a blend of these three structures may be appropriate. Initial consultations, as referenced above, will always be free, so fees can be discussed at length at that time.

Yes. For a long time we did not accept credit cards. However, we do now accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Unfortunately, we can only take this form of payment through PayPal. Thus, if you do not already have a PayPal account online, you will have to create one.

There is no way of predicting this. In litigation, things can go from several months to several years — and even longer if there is an appeal. Basic estate documentation drafting can be completed in a few weeks.

Like with the previous question, this, too, is near impossible to predict. Opposing litigants usually think the exact opposite of your case. Furthermore, if a matter were to go to trial and is placed in a jury’s hands, there is absolutely no way of projecting of 9-12 random individuals will react to your case.

The vast majority of litigation is resolved in one way or another before it reaches a trial setting. A large reason for this is that cases are not always necessarily settled on their merits, but on the basis of a business decisions. How many times out of ten am I going to lose at trial? And if so, the extent of the loss? Further, given the riskiness of trial, is it worth expending more stress and money (in legal fees and court costs) to go to trial? Legal disputes can be expensive. With these costs on one hand, and the pure uncertainty of litigation on the other, it is absolutely better to sometimes settle out of court. Of course, it depends upon a number of factors: the nature of the case, the supporting evidence, the opposing party, opposing counsel, trial venue, etc.

No. Attorneys who handle bankruptcy usually only handle bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is extremely complicated and involves very nuanced areas of federal law and creditor-debtor law. If you would like, we can refer you to a competent bankruptcy attorney.

All communications to an attorney pertaining to legal advice or legal counsel are generally private, confidential, and privileged. The attorney-client privilege is one of the strongest privileges in the law. We take it seriously and take pride in maintaining this basic tenet of the law.

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