CLIENT BILL OF RIGHTS
When you choose to work with either Rod Hobson or Kris Espino, we guarantee that we will stand by each and every item presented on our Client's Bill of Rights.I.
You Have the Right to an Intelligent, Creative, and Dynamic Defense
The United States Constitution guarantees that a person accused of a crime is afforded “effective assistance of counsel” but does not define the term effective. Around here we believe it means the ability to think on your feet and to anticipate the angles of a case before they’re apparent. Sometimes a case is won through an eloquent legal argument…and sometimes it gets ugly. We believe you’re entitled to an attorney who knows how to do both.
II.
You Have the Right to Have Your Calls Returned
The number one complaint we receive from clients who hired us after using a different attorney is that they could never speak to their actual attorney, no matter how many times they called or how many messages they left. It has long been our policy that we return as many phone calls as possible before leaving the office for the day so that none of our clients feel like they are being ignored or left in the dark about the status of their case.
III.
You Have the Right to Let Your Attorney Do the Worrying for You
We understand that the stress of a criminal prosecution can be overwhelming on our clients, especially if this is their first time through the process. That is why we strongly encourage our clients to do their best to go live their lives and let us do the worrying for them.
IV.
You Have the Right to Understand What’s Going On
We’re immersed in this every day of our lives to the point that it becomes second nature. However, when Rod and Kris find themselves in an auto parts store they’re as completely lost as a bull in a slaughterhouse. We get it. It can certainly be intimidating to deal with issues outside of your comfort area and that’s why we will fully answer our clients’ questions about the process and/or their cases until they actually understand the issues that affect their lives.
V.
You Have the Right to Have Your Attorney Look and Act Like a Professional
We are not the ones to show up at the courthouse in a pair of shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt. We firmly believe that being your representative encompasses the duty to represent you by the way we dress and the way we conduct ourselves in court. Professionalism is a core value, but we believe it starts on the surface.
VI.
You Have the Right to Expect Your Attorney to Stand Behind His Signature
VII.
You Have the Right to an Attorney Who Will Question Everything
We always ask the jury not to assume anything and to question the government’s evidence, so why would you expect anything less out of your own attorney? Rod and Kris are not ones to just rely on whatever documents we get from the district attorney’s office and expect that to prove your innocence. Instead, what’s provided by the DA’s office is only a starting point that tells us what we’re going to need and how to get it.
VIII.
You Have the Right to an Attorney Who Cares
The attorney-client relationship is built upon trust, understanding, and often times empathy. We get to know our clients and laugh with them and sometimes cry with them too. You’re never just a file number. You’re a person with a life to live and people who you love. Everything we do is based upon the idea of “what would we want from an attorney if that was our mother, or sister, or brother, or child standing trial?”
IX.
You Have the Right to Drop In and Say Hello
People drop by our office at all hours of the day for one thing or another, and it seems like we’re rarely too busy to come out to the lobby and shake hands and say hello. We enjoy seeing our clients to get a quick update from them – and not just an update on your legal situation, but an update on how things are going with your life. We always appreciate our former clients who just want to swing by and say “hi” and we hope all of our future clients will feel welcome enough to do the same.
X.
You Have the Right to Participate In Your Own Defense
Here’s the thing, no one can possibly know more about your case than you do. You know the people, locations, and more background information than we could ever get by just reading some report. We depend on our clients to inform us of all of the unknown factors that can potentially make all the difference in your case. In fact, one time Rod literally brought a client’s kitchen sink to trial as an exhibit because it completely undermined a State’s witness’ credibility. That’s really what it all boils down. We need you just as much as you need us.