Find answers to common questions about our legal services.
Legal HD is an on-demand legal advice and counseling service that connects you directly with an experienced attorney. Unlike traditional law firms, we offer brief, client-driven consultations that are efficient and affordable.
You get legal advice, from an actual lawyer, with no long waits, no enormous upfront costs, and no pressure to hire an attorney for a long-term engagement when you may not need or be ready for that.
Whether you need to know how to handle something legally, what you're actually dealing with, or why something has happened to you — Legal HD is where you go to get real answers.
By phone, video, or in person, Legal HD offers the opportunity to connect directly with an experienced attorney to ask questions, raise concerns, and get clear, thoughtful advice -- without long waits, enormous retainers, or pressure. And the best part...you control the cost.
For scheduling purposes, we book sessions in 60-minute blocks, but that is nothing more than a placeholder. You decide how long or short your session will be. It is your session.
If you get what you need in 10 minutes, then your session will be 10 minutes. If you need two hours, then your session will be two hours. Legal HD is a client driven service. You are in control.
A Legal HD session includes all time your attorney spends on your situation — preparation, the live meeting with you, and any substantive follow up. The live meeting portion, where you and your attorney talk through your questions and concerns, typically lasts between 20 and 45 minutes. For more complex or multi-issue situations requiring in-depth analysis and discussion, meetings can run 60 minutes or longer, and occasionally into the 90–120 minute range. More focused sessions with a single straightforward question may involve a meeting as short as 15–20 minutes.
However long (or short) your session runs, remember that Legal HD is a client-driven service — it is your time. Your attorney will take whatever amount of time you need to talk through your questions and concerns.
From a total cost perspective, straightforward situations without documents for your attorney to review will typically be based only on the time you spend in the meeting. Some sessions, however, will also include preparation time, follow-up time, or both. See our Pricing Page or related FAQs for details on expected costs.
Legal HD is not designed to be an open-ended legal engagement where costs build without your knowledge. The service is cost-sensitive by design, and you are always in control.
Legal HD sessions are charged on a per-minute rate starting at $5 per minute for one-on-one sessions and $7.50 per minute for joint sessions of two or more people. The rate applies to all time spent in connection with your session — preparation, your live conversation, and any follow-up.
There's no retainer required. An authorization hold for one hour of time is placed on your payment method when you book, and after your session, you're billed only for the actual time spent.
Visit our pricing page for more specifics on rates as well as session options.
Legal HD currently available throughout California and Wisconsin.
We're expanding to more states soon, including Washington, Illinois, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Not sure if California or Wisconsin law applies to your situation? Contact Us to find out.
Legal HD Advice & Counsel handles a wide variety of subject matters. Some of the legal topics and areas of law that are the subject of Legal HD sessions include:
At Legal HD, we do our best to be in a position to speak intelligently and competently about as many areas of the law as possible, and as a client driven service, we want to answer your questions and assist you as best we can. We don’t want you wondering if we can answer your questions. We simply want you to ask them.
If we are unfamiliar with the area of the law your situation gravitates toward, we won’t waste your time and resources pretending we know something we don’t, and if we can get you to an attorney who is familiar with the area of law at the heart of your question, concern, or matter, we will do our best to get you to that lawyer.
Legal HD also help clients understand the practical side of legal matters — things like how to respond to a demand letter, what to expect at a court hearing, how to read and understand legal documents, and what steps to take (and in what order) when facing a legal situation for the first time.
Not sure if we can help? Just ask — if we can't, we'll point you to someone who can.
No, because you are hiring a lawyer when you book a Legal HD session. Legal HD provides limited-scope legal representation (also known as an unbundled legal service), meaning you get real legal advice on a specific question or situation from a licensed attorney who represents your interests.
The difference isn't whether you have a lawyer — it's the scope of the engagement. Instead of signing on for full, ongoing representation, you get focused guidance on the issue in front of you.
If your attorney believes your situation calls for something more comprehensive, they will tell you and help you understand what a full scope representation might look like and how much it might cost.
Booking is simple:
The entire process takes just a few minutes.
You've already done the heavy lifting — when you booked your session, you described your situation and had the opportunity to share any relevant documents. Your attorney will review everything you provided before your session begins.
The one thing worth thinking about before your session is what you're hoping to accomplish. Whether it's a decision you're trying to make, a direction you're leaning, or an outcome you're looking for — having that in mind will help your attorney give you the most focused, actionable guidance possible.
If anything has changed since you booked, or if you've thought of additional questions, just bring them up at the start of your conversation. Beyond that, there's nothing else you need to do. Come as you are.
You're only billed for the actual time spent in connection with your session — no more, no less.
If your final cost is less than the authorization hold placed on your payment method, then you will only be charged for the time spent and the remaining amount of the hold will be released.
If your final cost is more than the authorization hold, the amount of the hold will be applied and you'll be charged separately for the difference. (See our Pricing Page for other details.)
The great news is that the length of time you meet with your attorney is 100% up to you. If you get what you need in 10 minutes, great! If you need two hours, no problem. It is your session, you are in control.
Every Legal HD session ends with a concluding email, which includes a summary of the time spent and the total cost of your session. This standard email is not included in the cost of the Legal HD service — the time spent summarizing cost and basic session details is part of the service, not part of the bill.
In many sessions, however, substantive content recommended by your attorney will also be included as part of the concluding email — such as a recap of the key concepts discussed, confirmation of specific advice or direction given, or the names and contact information of attorneys you should contact if your situation calls for an engagement beyond what Legal HD offers. When your attorney believes substantive follow-up will be valuable, it is discussed with you during the meeting so you have the opportunity to say yes or no to this additional information. Time spent preparing substantive follow-up content is included in the overall cost of your Legal HD session, but only up to a maximum of 15 minutes. This time allowance stated in the fee agreement you sign before your session begins.
If your attorney believes the substantive follow-up will require more than 15 minutes, the attorney will explain this to you, provide a time estimate, and ask for your approval in writing. Your written consent is required before any time beyond the 15-minute cap is spent. Legal HD does not bill additional follow-up time without your knowledge and agreement.
Yes! When you book your session, you can choose whichever format works best for you — phone call or video meeting. Both options give you the same quality legal advice.
In-person meetings are also an option. Please Contact Us so we can talk about whether an in person meeting will be possible on your preferred date and time.
With Legal HD, you receive answers to your questions and actual legal advice from an experienced attorney. That is fundamentally different from what most "free" or "no obligation" consultations provide.
Free consultations are business development tools. Lawyers and law firms use them to evaluate whether your situation is worth taking on — whether your matter will generate revenue for the firm and whether you are a client they want to work with. It is uncommon, if not rare, to receive meaningful legal advice during a free consultation, and the time allocated is controlled entirely by the lawyer, not by you. While you may be looking for clarity about how to handle your situation, the free consultation is primarily serving the lawyer's interests, not yours.
Legal HD is designed to serve your interests. The service exists to help you gain insight and clarity so you can make confident, informed decisions about how to address your legal question or concern. During a Legal HD session, an experienced attorney talks directly with you to help you understand your legal and practical options, assess how to address or resolve your situation based on your specific needs and circumstances, determine whether hiring an attorney is in your best interest or whether you can handle the issue on your own, and — if hiring an attorney is the right move — point you toward the right type of lawyer, including specific referrals when you want them.
Legal HD is about you, not us. There is nothing beyond providing the service that we are after.
Absolutely. All consultations are protected by attorney-client privilege. This means:
Legal HD Advice & Counsel is provided by the law firm of Farwell Rashkis, LLP, with offices in Los Gatos, California, and Racine, Wisconsin.
If you have a legal question or concern but don't want to commit to a typical law firm engagement — the retainer, the ongoing relationship, the uncertainty about what it will cost — you are not alone. Many people find themselves in exactly this position: They know they need to talk to a lawyer, but the traditional model feels like more than their situation requires.
Legal HD Advice & Counsel was designed specifically for this. Legal HD is an on-demand legal advice and counseling service where you schedule a session with an experienced attorney, discuss your questions and concerns, and get substantive, actionable guidance — without a retainer, without an ongoing commitment, and without the overhead of a traditional law firm engagement. You pay only for the time your attorney spends on your situation, billed per minute, with a payment authorization hold placed at booking instead of an upfront payment.
A Legal HD session can help you understand your options, determine whether your situation requires hiring an attorney for full representation, and — if it does — point you toward the right type of lawyer for your needs. For many people, a single session provides the clarity and confidence they need to move forward.
Most people don't enjoy dealing with lawyers or legal issues — lawyers are expensive and sometimes intimidating, and legal issues are frustrating, stressful, and anxiety provoking. But sometimes questions or concerns come up that make you want to talk to a lawyer, even if only briefly.
Legal HD offers the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns in an efficient and affordable manner while getting thoughtful, substantive advice along the way. Instead of trying to figure it all out yourself — or rushing to pay a large retainer fee only to wonder whether you even need a lawyer or whether you know enough to pick the right one — a Legal HD session lets you get answers to your questions, get meaningful advice about your situation, and determine whether hiring a lawyer is the right next step.
And if hiring a lawyer is the direction you decide to head, Legal HD can help you learn how to quickly and easily find the right one.
Legal HD Advice & Counsel is provided by Farwell Rashkis, LLP, a law firm with offices in Los Gatos, California and Racine, Wisconsin. If you choose to engage the service, you will be a client of the Farwell Rashkis law firm.
Craig Rashkis, an attorney with over 25 years of litigation and transactional experience, is the primary Legal HD service provider.
Foundational questions often answered or touched on through Legal HD are:
In short, no, Legal HD will not represent you on an ongoing basis. That is not the purpose of the service.
Legal HD Advice & Counsel is what lawyers often refer to as a "limited scope" or "unbundled" representation. It is designed to be limited in nature so you have the opportunity to better understand the legal nature of what you are dealing with and make an informed decision about what you want to do without having to pay a traditional retainer fee or feel pressure to hire a lawyer for the long term when all you want is to get answers to your questions.
The goal of Legal HD is to provide clear, reliable legal guidance that empowers you with the understanding you need to make informed decisions about your legal question, concern or matter.
Referrals to other attorneys and law firms are routinely made; so if you are already looking for a lawyer or it turns out that you want to hire one for a traditional engagement or "full scope representation," Legal HD can help point you in the right direction.
Book a session with an experienced attorney and get the answers you need.
No retainers • Predictable pricing • Real legal advice • No pressure