Unlawful Detainer - Evictions
An Unlawful Detainer action is a special court proceeding to evict someone from the place where they live or work. This usually happens when a tenant stays after the lease is up or the lease is cancelled. An Unlawful Detainer decides if the landlord can take the property back from the tenant. The landlord is the plaintiff. The tenant is the defendant. If the defendant moves out before trial, the case is dismissed or, can be changed to a regular civil action.
If the landlord wins, they'll get a "judgment for possession". The tenant has to move out. The sheriff can enforce this judgment. This means the sheriff can physically make the tenant leave.
The good news is that Unlawful Detainer actions are very fast. Usually, the defendant has 5 days to file a response. You can have a trial 20 days after that. In general, the defendant can't file a cross complaint.
Fees for Unlawful Detainer Actions
For a standard "non payment of residential rent" Unlawful Detainer action, we charge a flat attorney fee of $200 (from start to finish) plus court costs if necessary. We accept all major credit cards.
Our Philosophy:
We NEVER charge our clients for phone calls (either to or from us) AND we NEVER charge prospective clients for their first 60 minutes that we spend talking about their case. In most personal injury cases we charge a fee based on recovery (no recovery/ no fee) and in most consumer cases we charge a flat fee for services. In general we do not like charging our clients by the hour as it simply does not promote the needed communication that is necessary to adequately represent a client.
If our approach and philosophy makes sense to you, contact us today and talk an attorney who can help you with your legal problem.
We are available to meet with you in our offices or, if it is more convenient for you, we can meet at your home or business.
