Professional Opinion Letters

Sometimes clients may need letters to present to their insurance company, lawyers, judges, etc. In their zeal to prove their case they want to get a "short and simple" (meaning: inexpensive) letter from a professional tradesman. Many tradesman don't want to get involved, quite frankly, because it takes a lot of time, and there is the potential for trouble to come back upon them.

We do not just write simple letters with a few sentences. If you just want to quick simple letters, ask your friends to write a quick letter. The client is often focused on only getting their matter resolved (to their satisfaction). When we offer our opinion as a professional, we have to consider only the facts, not who is paying us or how they will be affected. Even though the client may be paying the bill for the letter, we generally don't take sides. Our responsibility is to give a true and accurate description of the facts. Sometimes this may be to the benefit of the client, sometimes not.

When we write a letter, we are ultimately writing for, and are accountable to, the judge. We have to give much thought and do whatever research is needed. We realize that we have to be able to stand behind everything that we say in our letter. Consequently we will:

1. Give it a lot of thought

2. Ask questions of all parties involved (as needed).

3. Do research to find the facts

4. Ask advice of other qualified professionals (there may be additional charges for this)

5. Take pictures

6. Sometimes make drawings to better explain the facts

7. Write up a detailed letter, which may include the pictures and drawings.

When we give a professional opinion, we are responsible for a much higher degree of accuracy and accountability that a lay person. Therefore, we are much more cautious about what we say, we are more careful to consider that what we say is the truth. Sometimes the areas that we need to include in our opinion may involve areas that we need to research more information about.

What we need from you

In order for us to decide if we are qualified, or if we want to, write letter for you, we need some information from from you.

1. Multiple pictures of the furniture and any other...
2. Copies of all associated paperwork (the original work order, receipts, etc.)
3. A clearly written statement from you, that includes:
   1. A clear account of what happened
   2. who was involved and what their part was
4. A clearly written statement of the other point-of-view. Pretend like you are the opposing party and put yourself in their position and write out the situation from their point of view. This is a test of how fair, objective, and honest you can be.

Accepting the Assignment

We will decide upon a case by case determination whether we decide to take the assignment. This will partly be determined details of the situation, whether or not we have the knowledge and expertise needed to write an appropriate letter, how soon the letter is needed, how busy we are, and the expectations of the client.

After you have given all the above required information we will look at the picture, read enough of the paperwork for us to make a determination, and determine whether or not to accept your request.

Initial Consultation: No charge for first 15 minutes.

What is required from you: Before the initial Consultation, Client is required to write out the details of the situation and/or the problem. Take whatever pictures might be helpful to explain the problem. Your responsibility is to have the situation clarified enough so that you can clearly explain the situation.

Costs:

Expect to pay a minimum of several hundred dollars, an upwards, for a simple letter

Time for researching, writing, and editing the letter is billed at $75 per hour plus expenses. (Time is billed at $150 per hour (plus travel expenses and another other associated expenses) for any time spent in court or other meetings.) A deposit of $300 will be payable in advance, if we agree to proceed.