Office policies
Hours of Operation
General:
The Office is open from 8:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. weekdays except on Mondays. On Mondays, we are closed from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. for our weekly office meeting. We will be closed for all Federal holidays.
During the Summer months, from Memorial Day until Labor Day, we will be open from 8:30 A.M. until 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. We will be closed from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. on Mondays for an office meeting.
Office Meetings:
The Office is closed from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. every Monday for an office meeting. We do have voice mail available to take messages during this time.
Inclement Weather:
Appointments: In the case of inclement weather, please check the media for the Gettysburg Area Schools’ schedule, we will follow this schedule. We make every effort to notify our clients individually of cancellations due to bad weather. If your appointment has been canceled due to inclement weather, a staff member will attempt to contact you within 24 hours to reschedule.
Court:
If you have a court appearance, the court appearance will take place if the Courthouse is open.
Holiday Closings:
We will be closed for all Federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Should any of these Holidays fall on the week-end, we may be closed either the Friday before or Monday after the holiday. Please call to check for a specific holiday’s schedule.
After Hours Appointments:
If you are scheduled for an appointment during non-business hours, the front door may be locked when you arrive. Please wait for the person your are meeting with to arrive. Every effort will be made to have the door open promptly at the meeting time.
Mail Slot:
For your convenience, a mail slot is located in the front door for after hours document drop off. Please make sure your document is in an envelope labeled with the recipient’s name.
After Hours Phones:
Should you call after hours, your call will be routed to voice mail.
Appointments
Scheduling:
All consultations with an attorney are by appointment only in order to provide the time necessary to discuss your matter.
Appointments:
Conferences with the Attorneys in the office are by appointment only. Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the scheduled time.
Please be advised that we are often scheduling 3 weeks in advance in order to meet our client’s needs. Unless you request otherwise, your appointment will be scheduled for the first available time period. If you have a matter that cannot wait until that time, please advise the scheduler so an expedited appointment can be arranged. If you are sent a form to be filled out prior to your appointment, please do so to the best of your abilities and bring along to the appointment.
Click here to go directly to our online appointment form.
Drop-Ins:
We can not normally accommodate drop-in appointment requests with an attorney or support staff due to other previously scheduled matters. Please always call in advance for an appointment. If you stop by to drop off paperwork, please specify the recipient of the paperwork.
Canceling Appointments:
We appreciate your consideration of calling to cancel an appointment 24 hours ahead of time. We understand that some circumstances do not allow for this.
Rescheduling Appointments:
If you cannot make your scheduled appointment, please feel free to call and reschedule. Due to court matters or other emergencies, the scheduler may need to contact you to reschedule your appointment.
Non-Interruption Policy:
It is our policy not to interrupt an appointment with a client that is in progress to take a call.
Questionnaires:
Some of the types of matters that we deal with require the client to provide the attorney with information in order for the attorney to advice them. For these matters, a questionnaire has been prepared by our office and will be sent out to the client before the appointment. Please bring the questionnaire with you for your meeting with the attorney. All information you provide will be kept confidential.
Disability Access:
If you have mobility concerns, please contact us in advance to make arrangements for parking, office access and first floor meeting space. Although it is not our normal practice, appointments can be held in the home of the client if disability needs cannot be accommodated.
After Hours Appointments:
Very few after hour appointments are available. All after hour appointments require an attorney’s approval before being scheduled.
Parking:
On street metered parking is available near or in front of our office (on the North side of West High Street and the West side of South Washington Street). Please contact us in advance if a mobility issue prohibits walking from the car to our office. If you are going to court or otherwise expect to be parked for more than two hours, please inform the receptionist. Every effort will be made to maintain your meter.
Emergencies
During Office Hours:
In the event of an emergency during regular business hours ( Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.) please contact the office at (717) 334-4515. Briefly explain the situation to the receptionist and she will direct your call to the appropriate staff member that may be able to assist you.
PLEASE NOTE:
The firm’s support staff is unable to give legal advice. However, if an attorney is not available, it is recommended that your call be forwarded to one of our legal assistants to ensure your matter is addressed in a timely manner.
After Hours:
Please call appropriate emergency response person first in the case of an emergency. Then call our office and leave a message on voice mail. Often messages are checked over the weekend.
Billing for Services
General:
Most services are billed on a fee per hour basis. Services not billed on an hourly basis will be billed at a flat rate, which will be communicated to you at the beginning of the representation. Some types of matters require a retainer be paid before services commence. A billing statement is sent out the first of each month, net 20 days. If payment cannot be made in full, please call the office to arrange a payment schedule.
Some services are performed by the paralegal or clerical staff and are billed at a lesser rate than an attorney’s fee. All work is done under the supervision of the attorney who is handling your matter.
Fee Agreement Letters:
In comportment with Pennsylvania law, you will receive a letter communicating our fee arrangements and scope of representation as soon as possible after representation is agreed upon.
Retainers:
In some situations, the attorney will request a retainer be paid before services are rendered on your matter. Any request for a retainer will be reflected in the fee agreement letter. Work done on your matter will be charged against the retainer until it is used up. At that point, an additional retainer may be requested or you may be billed as new charges are incurred.
Monthly Billing:
Clients are billed on a monthly basis with bills going out at the first of the month or shortly thereafter. Billing terms are net 20 days. Please call to make other arrangements if unable to pay under these terms.
Payment Options:
If your bill is not paid in a timely manner, a 18% per annum finance charge may be applied. If you are unable to pay your bill in full, please contact our office to make alternate arrangements.
VISA/Master Card/Discover/American Express
Client Education & Services
Newsletters:
A client information newsletter is sent out quarterly. If you are not receiving the newsletter but would like to, please call to have your name added to the list. If you are receiving the newsletter and would prefer not to, please contact us to have your name removed from the list. You can access past newsletter by clicking on the newsletter tab on our home page.
Client education opportunities:
From time to time, we offer client education letters, articles or get togethers. Please check the newsletter and our web site for information.
Notaries:
A number of our staff are commissioned as notaries in the state of Pennsylvania. A small fee is charged for their services, payable directly to the notary.
Referrals:
In the event you have a legal need which exceeds the scope of our practice, every effort will be made to refer you to an attorney who can help you with your case.
Disability Access:
We have a standard-size ramp access available at our main entrance. In some cases, electric wheel chairs may not be able to make the turn into the front door. Appointments can be held in the home of the client if disability needs cannot be accommodated at our office.
Confidentiality
Office Policy:
At Beauchat & Beauchat, LLC, we are committed to providing the best possible service to our clients. A cornerstone of that service is confidentiality. We will not release or reveal information related to a client’s representation unless we have been given express, informed consent to do so by that client. Furthermore, we will not release or reveal any information pertaining to a specific case even after that case has been concluded and the attorney-client relationship has terminated unless we have been given express, informed consent to do so by that client.
Privacy Policy:
Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) generally prohibits any financial institution, directly or through its affiliates, from sharing nonpublic personal information about you with a nonaffiliated third party unless the institution provides you with a notice of its privacy policies and practices, such as the type of information that it collects about you and the categories of persons or entities to whom it may be disclosed. In compliance with the GLBA, we are providing you with this document, which notifies you of the privacy policies and practices of Stewart Title Guaranty Company.
We may collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:
- Information we receive from you, such as on applications or other forms.
- Information about your transactions we secure from our files, or from our affiliates or others.
- Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency.
- Information that we receive from others involved in your transaction, such as the real estate agent or lender.
Unless it is specifically stated otherwise in an amended Privacy Policy Notice, no additional nonpublic personal information will be collected about you.
We may disclose any of the above information that we collect about our customers or former customers to our affiliates or to nonaffiliated third parties as permitted by law.
We also may disclose this information about our customers or former customers to nonaffiliated companies that perform services on our behalf.
We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information in order to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with Federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information.
Professionalism
Continuing Legal Education:
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires every attorney to complete twelve (12) credits of continuing legal education per year. Our attorneys meet and exceed that requirement each year.
Staff Education:
Although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not require education for staff members, we encourage our staff members to attend continuing legal education courses. We also conduct in-house training for all staff members.
Community Service:
The members of our firm enthusiastically serve Gettysburg and the surrounding communities. Aside from serving on boards of directors and volunteering with charities, churches and schools, we enjoy speaking at local events. If you or your organization would like us to speak at your event, please contact us.
File Archiving, File Retention and Destruction
It is our goal to provide the highest level of service to our clients that is possible. Part of that service is maintaining files for as long as practical. However, due to limitations on storage space, occasionally it is necessary to dispose of old files.
Before any file is considered for disposal, our firm utilizes the following criteria:
- the matter has been inactive for at least three years;*
- the likelihood of the matter again becoming active is highly remote;
- there are no original documents or items in the file that, if destroyed, would cause harm to the client; and
- the client is afforded the opportunity to receive the file in lieu of destruction.
* Please note, files electronically stored with the court, such as bankruptcy files, may be disposed of sooner than three years.
