No. Generally law firms like ours, that deal in real estate and business matters, do not. There is a reason for that. Personal injury attorneys, for instance, do practice utilizing such free consultations and that initial consultation may lead to engagement with a substantial return as most of their cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. In most cases, the client doesn’t even meet with an attorney!!

In our practice we find that most of our initial consultations are actually what we call “one-time consultations”. We are able to answer all of the client’s questions and address their concerns in one sitting. That provides real cost-effective value for our client and, of course, we can’t do that for free.

We do provide a special initial new matter consultation rate of $150.00 for an up to one-hour consultation with one of our career attorneys. It may be a one-time consultation. It may lead to more work. It may result in a long-term relationship. That $150.00 fee is less than one half the rate charged by all our attorneys. We have offered this special service for many years and it is been accepted well by the real estate legal community.

This is a special area of practice for us. We deal with clients all around the United States. In most cases these consultations are on the phone or by Zoom. They are different from any other type of law matter as they anticipate the determination, at that initial meeting, whether a client will or will not qualify to complete a tax-deferred exchange.

In our “Practice Area” section of this website, we discuss in detail the process of 1031 exchanging. If you seek information regarding doing a 1031 exchange, feel free to call or fill out the contact box and we will set up a time to meet with you at your convenience.

Better yet! Call our 1031 hotline at 253-383-1200 or 1-800-236-4948 to speak with a member of our 1031 exchange group immediately.

Like other areas of our practice, 1031 tax-deferred exchanges have been an integral part of our practice for over 35 years. We are not, by any means, new kids on the block in completing tax-deferred exchanges.

Our services extend throughout the State of Washington and throughout the whole United States for tax-deferred exchanges. With such broad geographical coverage, most clients can’t really travel to our office in Tacoma.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a game changer to the practice of law. Zoom consultations did, to a great degree, replace in office consultations during the ravages of the pandemic. Zoom has become an integral part of our firm’s interactions with clients.

We always welcome in office consultations. They allow a personal interaction with the attorney that can’t be achieved otherwise. All initial consultations are at a reduced fee of $150 for a one-hour consultation whether in the office, Zoom or by phone.

Many of our clients utilize the phone for the initial consultation. We are able to set that up in many cases as a conference call to suit the client’s needs. With clients all over the country, we attempt to keep consultation slots open throughout the business day to provide immediate opportunities for clients to meet with our attorneys.

In all matters, you will never, never, never have an initial consultation with a non-attorney or paralegal. That may happen at other firms where an initial consultation is offered with a paraprofessional. That will never happen at McFerran Law.

Our law consultation matters are only offered by an attorney at our office. You can be assured that the attorney you meet with will be acquainted with your type of matter before we even set up the appointment.

The cost of the initial consultation, whether it be in office, Zoom or by phone,  is $150.00 for the initial one-hour consultation on a new law matter. To set up a consultation with one of our attorneys just call (253) 471-1200. Text us at 253-405-7637 or fill out the “contact us box” on our website. It’s as easy as that!

We know, with over 35 years of practice, that real estate law matters come up and need to be addressed quickly. All of our attorneys, from our Founder to our associate attorneys, leave new client consultation slots open daily to allow us to schedule client consultations quickly. We know when a real estate problem arises, you don’t want to wait weeks to get in and see an attorney.

We hear from our clients and potential clients of it taking 2 to 3 weeks to get an appointment with some real estate law firms in the Northwest. We are not medical doctors! We are real estate attorneys and, in some cases, we can offer same-day consultations!

And, in most cases, any client can get a consultation in just a few days. We know how important it is for clients to address the real estate issues they encounter so we try to be as responsive as possible.

To set up a consultation with one of our real estate attorneys call us at (253) 471-1200. Text is at 253-405-7637 or fill out the contact form on this website and we will contact you promptly.

One of our pet peeves is to respond on a website in the fashion designed by that website and never get a response. It is not only service businesses that do not respond to a web-based inquiry, but a host of generally smaller businesses as well. We can’t figure out why they would spend all the money to create a website and not respond!! That will never happen at McFerran Law!

We know that attorneys in general have a horrible reputation and track record of not timely returning phone calls. Over our many years in our practice, our attorneys have striven to overcome that stigma and we commit to return calls promptly (see next FAQ).

Our law firm knows that the practice of law is no longer a five day a week, 8 AM to 5 PM proposition. Client’s legal needs take no vacation. Client’s legal needs happen 24 hours a day/7 day a week. We try to be responsive.

We monitor our website daily seven days a week. If you address our website with a question, you will probably hear from us sometime after hours or possibly during the weekend. We pride ourselves on being attentive to our client’s needs.

If you call our office and leave a voicemail message, keep in mind those calls are not monitored and your return call will not occur until we open the next business day. Our normal business hours are 8:30 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Appointments may be arranged after hours and on weekends by special arrangement.

In short, if you use the contact box on our website, you will get a prompt response! It’s part of our culture at McFerran law!

We at McFerran law know that client communication is a key component in an attorney-client relationship. How many times have you heard about attorneys who never return phone calls?

Now, in a more technological world, that may also refer to emails as well.

In days gone by the practice of law was a lot different than it is today. Typically, attorneys, while many of them, would put themselves in a level superior to their clients. The attorney only dwelt with clients during certain hours. The attorney only returns calls when he or she chose to do so. The attorney at our law office know that he or she serves the client and not the other way around.

Our attorneys know that they serve our clients and it is a privilege for us to be engaged by them. Not the other way around.

We also know that the practice of law is no longer just with an attorney and his or her client. When a client hires an attorney at McFerran law, they hired the whole law firm. You see, we are not just attorneys. We are attorneys with a whole host of legal professionals working alongside of your attorney to serve you. These are support people who play an integral role in serving your legal needs. They are paralegals, legal assistants, legal secretaries and other staff working alongside of your attorney to serve your legal needs.

Attorney schedules can be hectic. Our litigation attorneys may be in trial in court for days and weeks at a time. You can be assured at McFerran law that a member of your attorney’s legal team (or the attorney himself or herself) will be returning your phone call or email promptly.

Generally, clients can quickly understand that an attorney’s staff is generally at their desk full-time and not tied up in court, depositions, consultations, or client drafting to the same extent as your attorney. That is why all our clients are introduced at the first meeting of the team of professionals that will be serving you.

Our attorneys at McFerran law are all licensed in the State of Washington to practice law. However, our attorneys are licensed under federal law to assist clients in the area of facilitating 1031 tax-deferred exchanges throughout the United States!   You may want to review the 1031 tax exchange information on this website under the 1031 Practice Area.

We know that our clients are more mobile than ever before and we know that assisting clients in retaining competent counsel out of state can provide real value to our clients. We can assist clients in retaining out-of-state counsel if the need arises.

We have developed over our 35+ years history, industry relationships all over the country that allow us to assist clients as they seek competent representation in states other than Washington.

We are attorneys licensed in the State of Washington. Not only your attorney, but our whole team of support staff are committed to your privacy and confidentiality.

You can be assured that from the first phone call through years of continued representation that your private client information is safe and secure at McFerran Law. Our office is at the forefront of taking all actions necessary even encryption of emails and computer-based technology to assure our clients that confidential information is not compromised. Encrypted email plays a huge role in our practice of law today.

At McFerran law a goodly portion of our practice is transactional. In this area we know generally for certain what the cost of completing a legal engagement will cost and we can quote a fixed fee. Clients like fixed fee arrangements as there are fewer misunderstandings.

In the area of litigation, we can only estimate as all litigation is unpredictable. We just in many cases don’t know where a lawsuit may lead or what actions we will be required to take, or predict what actions the opposing party may take.

We are pleased to generally offer fixed fee quotes for the following types of transactional matters.

• Easement drafting
• Power of Attorney drafting
• Incorporations
• Residential Leases
• Promissory Note drafting
• Deed drafting
• Deed of Trust drafting
• Will drafting
• Trust drafting
• LLC formation
• Commercial Leases
• Purchase and sale agreement drafting
• Tax-Deferred Exchanges

McFerran law has been in the practice of landlord/tenant law, both commercially and residentially, for over 35 years. We are happy to represent landlords in both commercial and residential landlord/tenant disputes.

However, in the area of residential tenancy, we only represent landlords. The nature of our practice representing so many landlords, creates an ethical preclusion for us to serve residential tenants. We are happy to refer residential tenants to law firms who focus their practice on residential tenant matters.

It is easy to set up a consultation with our office on landlord/tenant matters. Just call us at (253) 471-1200. Text us at 253-405-7637 or fill out the handy contact us box on our website and we will promptly respond.

Our practice in the area of 1031 tax-deferred exchanges is national in scope. We represent exchange clients all over the United States from our corporate headquarters in Tacoma Washington.

You do not need to have a company like our law firm acting as “Qualified Intermediary” in each state that you may complete a tax-deferred exchange. We can do it all and we are approved to provide exchange services in all states of the United States. We are a one-stop shop!

Our 1031 Practice Area section of our website is packed with information, articles, videos and other sources of information on 1031 tax-deferred exchanges.

But more importantly, we do provide free consultations for tax-deferred exchange clients. That is true. There is no cost whatsoever.

We don’t care if you are from Texas, or California or Florida or even Washington state, we are happy to consult with you for free. They can be at office if local. They can be by Zoom or phone if that fits your schedule. Our people are experts on 1031 exchanges and are happy to share their expertise with you. Just call 253-383-1200 (our exchange hotline) or text 253-405-7637 or fill out the contact page and we will contact you.

We are sensitive, as a law firm, to our client’s pocketbook. We represent people. We don’t represent huge corporations. We know our client’s pockets are not deep and money paid for services was, in most cases, an unanticipated cost.

We always provide clients estimates for fees and costs in any matter so that the client can make a reasoned decision as to whether to move forward with our firm providing representation.

Generally, no. The nature of our real estate and business practice is such that a contingent fee really does not work for our clients. A fee only paid if we are successful in a matter is not appropriate with real estate and business law matters. In the case of auto accidents and personal injury, we find attorneys almost exclusively practice-based upon payment to them based upon outcome.

Yes. We actually have a state licensed school called “McFerran University”. If you click on the “Classes” section at the top of our website, you can get a full introduction or go to: www.McFerranu.com