Q: When should I contact a lawyer when I have a problem with a government agency?
A: A lawyer knowledgeable with how government agencies work will be able to help you marshal all of the facts, including witnesses and documents, that you will need for the presentation of you side of the issue.

Q: Can the agency just decide whatever it wants to do?
A: No. All government agencies, federal, state and local, have statutes and rules that they are bound by. There is both a Georgia and a federal Administrative Procedures Act. Also local government agencies are governed by state law and local ordinances, and sometimes by federal regulations in certain regulated topics like environmental issues. In a similar way, federal agencies also have statutes governing their particular area of concern and have regulations that have come out of Washington that they must follow, as well as formal written policies that they have to abide by. A lawyer helps the client find these statutes, ordinances, and regulations so that the rules governing the case before the agency are known and can be complied with by both sides.

Q: When I call the agency on the telephone, they either do not answer me or do not give me a complete answer. What can I do?
A: All communications with a government agency have to be documented in writing. Often the agency will put a memorandum to file in a folder concerning your problem. You need to have a letter sent to the agency setting out your side of the matter and documenting the specifics in your telephone conversation with agency personnel. A lawyer can help you make sure you cover all the necessary points in this correspondence.

Q: What if we lose at the agency hearing?
A: There are ways to take the case to court, depending on which statutes and regulations are involved. This office has experience in going to court for clients who have been involved in disputes with government agencies. The rules can be technical, but we have experience in dealing with them.

Q: How is the attorney fee determined?
A: This type of case is handled on an hourly rate basis. The fee and reimbursement of any expenses are determined in a meeting between attorney and client in the office.