The Law Office of William Monroe seeks to ensure the doors to the Courthouse are open to all.  Payment arrangements are made on a case by case basis depending on many factors.  Of course a steady source of income is a requirement.  We do allow you to have people co-sign on your account if your income is not as regular as we require.  

     Like snowflakes, no two legal cases are exactly alike.  Many cases settle without going to Court.  However, it is best to prepare as if you are going to have to go to Court while considering all legitimate settlement options that come up in a case.

     Trust is the hallmark of the Attorney-Client relationship and therefore confidentiality is an obligation of all Attorneys.  The controlling ethical obligation is set out in Iowa Court Rule 32:1.6.  However, to put it in a single sentence, an Attorney is supposed to keep secrets of the client except when doing so makes the Attorney accessory to a crime that would harm someone physically or financially.   

     Client communications are the highest priority in this Office.  Every client is supplied with the Attorney's home phone number, cell phone number, and the office phone numbers. E-mails and text messages are also used as well.  If phone calls are not returned by 5pm and it is necessary, we encourage calls be made to the home phone or the cell phone.  Sometimes schedules prevent instant communication, but we are available and ready to speak with you every day if that is what you require. However, calling every day can really increase the cost of your case and is not recommended. 

     We try to bill out at least monthly.  Sometimes, when there is unusual activity in a case this may happen more frequently.  For example, we often bill right after we file a Petition for Divorce or after a substantial hearing of any kind.  Every bill you receive should set out exactly what services you have received and any out of pocket expenses that were incurred. The bill should also indicate all payments.  Please note that payments may take a few days to post to your account, so if a payment is made just before your bill is sent, it is very possible this payment will not yet be reflected in your bill. 

     At the end of every bill is also a summary of changes to the individual client "Trust Account" to include: 1) the balance of the account at the beginning of that billable period; 2) any withdrawals from the account (explaining clearly the basis of such); 3) any deposits to the account; and 4)  the ending balance of the account for that time period.  Please note that any withdrawals that were made to pay from your "Trust Account" towards attorney hours or expenses, that this will be explained in the first part of the bill and in this "Trust Account" part. 

      Attorneys are required to maintain and use exclusively an "Attorney Trust Account" for client money they have not yet earned or that they are holding for their client. Attorneys are also required to give timely notice to the client of any withdrawals from this account and the reason for the withdrawal.  Interest on this account is automatcally sent to the Iowa Supreme Court and is used to pay for things like Iowa Legal Aid and other worthy legal endeavors.

     We do not bill a client for the time we take to answer questions regarding any part of billing practices.  In fact we encourage clients to call us anytime there is even the slightest confusion about any aspect of charges to your account, any aspect of payments to your account, and any legtimate billing issue not understood by the client.  Please also note that we maintain our bills in both a paper format and a computer record and they are accessible for reprinting and therefore if you lose a bill, we are more than happy and able to replace it.  Also, due to the electronic nature of the records, we can also print out comprehensive account itemizations if needed.

     Yes.  We take every case as a personal crisis faced by our clients and try to help them through this as much as humanly possible.  We don't claim to be perfect, but you should feel as if you had your day in Court at the end of the case and that your Attorney's most important concern was how to navigate the legal system to the best possible result.  If at anytime you feel this is not happening, we encourage you to let us know so this can really occur. 

     Generally, a Conflict of Interest in the Law is something that affects the ability of your attorney to be a "zealous advocate"  or as loyal to you as required.  In other words, this is something that would call into question the ability of the attorney to be completely loyal to your stated interests or your best interests.  For example, it would be completely improper for an attorney to take one side of divorce case and then later try to represent the other side in the same case.  The controlling ethical obligations are set specifically out in Iowa Court Rules 32:1.7 to 32:1.11.   
     A perceived Conflict of Interest is definitely something that should be discussed with your attorney as soon as it is discovered.  Some perceived conflicts turn out to be unimportant and some will require formal action to resolve.  However, the bottom line regarding Conflicts of Interest is it should be discussed and resolved as soon as possible.

     A Contingency Fee is usually an arrangement where you do not pay your attorney by the hour and instead, the Attorney is paid an agreed upon percentage of your recovery.  So, if there is no recovery, then the attorney is not paid for his work on the case. Usually, the client is still responsible for out of pocket costs in the case whether the case is won or lots though.  Contingency Fees cannot be used in Iowa in criminal cases or cases involving domestic relations.  See Iowa Court Rule 32:1.5(d)(1)&(2).