The Initial Contact

We understand that contacting an oil and gas law firm can be intimidating.  In an effort to alleviate some of the stress and the unknown of contacting our firm, Oil and Gas Coordinator Josh May will discuss some of the types of calls we receive and the approach we take in talking to and representing clients.  If you have an oil and gas issue, question, problem, or just want to talk about something that is going on with your property or with the industry, please do not hesitate to contact us at (304) 845-9750 for a free consultation.  We are licensed to practice in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  Our practice areas include, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Oil & Gas, Medical Malpractice, and Social Security.

The Initial Contact

Over the next several weeks I’m going to take you through some of the types of prospect calls we receive and how some of those situations are processed and handled here at the firm.  The examples will not include specific names of clients, but will outline certain types of calls we get and maybe some of the outcomes.  If you have any sort of oil and gas law issue, question, problem, or just want to talk about something that is going on with your property or even the industry to find out what we might know, please do not hesitate to contact us at (304) 845-9750.  We are happy to talk to you. Oftentimes we can help. Give us a call.

Contact Us – Protect Your Interests

Today, I’m going to just start with the basics of how to communicate with us.  There are several ways to get in touch with our office and I’m going to outline each and what you might expect once you make that initial contact.  I’ll conclude with some common questions/fears that go along with contacting an attorney that will hopefully make you feel comfortable in contacting us.  Don’t stress over contacting a personal injury or oil and gas attorney.  We’re here to listen to your issues, and believe me, we’re here to help as many people as we possibly can.  The oil and gas companies are armed with more attorneys than you or I can count, looking out for their interests.  Shouldn’t you have someoneyou can count on to provide advice about oil and gas law, and someone looking out for your best interests?

1. The Phone Call

Probably the easiest and quickest way to get to someone is to actually call our office at (304) 845-9750.  We have multiple people within our office answering calls.  When you make the initial call, you should expect to be asked to provide some basic information, including your name, telephone number, address, how you heard about our firm, and the reason for your call.  Sometimes we have potential clients that do not feel comfortable giving us all that information and, if that’s you, that’s ok, but I feel it’s important to tell you why we ask for it.  We are not Publisher’s Clearing House so if you do give us your contact information, you will not be receiving monthly mail from us entering you into the million-dollar sweepstakes.

What we try to do is to enter every single prospect into our oil and gas law firm or personal injury database and keep notes of each call.  The program is used by our entire office.  So if the person you need to speak with is not available, your contact information, notes from the initial call, and information about why you are currently calling can be uploaded and sent directly to the person best suited to answer your question(s).  Your contact person at our office will then have an idea of what you want to discuss and will be prepared to talk to you about those issues/questions when he/she returns your call.  It makes our life much easier, and quicker for you when you share as much information as you can when you call.

Teena Miller for Oil and Gas Law

Once the information has been entered into our system, your information will be sent to the appropriate person within the office.  As the Oil and Gas Coordinator for the firm, if you contact our office about anything Oil and Gas law related, I will be your primary contact to start.  I have been the primary point person for our firm for about 8 years now, so there’s not much I haven’t heard.  I don’t pretend to know everything, but I have a firm grasp on our practice and the types of files we can assist with.  It’s my job to handle the initial calls and determine what type of issue you have.  Together with Oil and Gas attorney Christian Turak, we discuss all prospect files and handle all initial in-person consultations (I’ll address the “free consultation” in another blog post soon).

Primarily, our initial focus is trying to determine what your issues are and if we can be of any assistance to you.  Providing as much information to us as you possibly can help us determine our ability to help you.  During the course of our call or our initial meeting, it sometimes becomes apparent that we may need further information/documents to review before we can make a decision on any next steps.  Therefore, I oftentimes ask the prospect to send me items for review.  We know your situation is important to you, and each prospect and client is important to us.  You can expect us to provide you with a thorough and quick review of your situation.

I try to make it a point to reach all new prospects within 24 hours of their initial call.  Sometimes, work gets the best of us and we aren’t immediately available to speak, but understand that each and every call, no matter the issue, is important to us.  We want to speak to you as quickly as we can and provide you with the information you need so you can make the best decision for you and your family.

2. The Online Form

Gold, Khourey & Turak Contact Form

Sometimes you don’t feel comfortable picking up the phone and calling us. Please understand that’s ok and there are other ways to reach us.  If you are anything like my girlfriend who avoids talking on the phone at all costs, I sympathize with you.  I don’t think she’s ever ordered a pizza by phone (even though it’s so much faster).  But if that’s you, we have some options.

If you go to our website at gkt.com, we have an online form you can fill out and send in.  The form is very simple and easy to complete and doesn’t require much effort. Provide your contact information and the reason for your inquiry, and we will reach out to you.  You can also provide your preferred method of contact, so if you would prefer to not have us contact you via phone then we can assist you through email.  When you complete and submit the online form, the information you provide is sent to a few different people within the firm.  Your information will be reviewed and forwarded to the appropriate person to follow up with you.  Again, if it’s Oil and Gas law related, I’ll be sent your form and will do my best to contact you within 24 hours of receipt.

3. Live Chat

Gold, Khourey & Turak Live Chat for Oil and Gas Law

If you are on our website at gkt.com, you will also be prompted to utilize our free “live chat” feature.  The live chat provides you the ability to communicate on our website with a person representing our firm.  Please understand that our live chat agents are not attorneys or paralegals, so they aren’t going to be able to answer specific legal questions.  However, they will collect your information, obtain details of your situation, and oftentimes can connect you with someone at our office right then and there, if it’s during normal business hours.  Specifically, for Oil and Gas live chats, I’m not the person speaking with you on the chat, but our agents do try to reach me directly if you ask to speak to someone right away.

In the event we’re not available to speak to you right away, I will receive a transcript of the entire chat session and will contact you as soon as possible.  The majority of the time, you will be contacted within 30 minutes of your contact, and no later than 24 hours.  On weekends, this may vary depending on if an attorney is available to contact you.  If not, then you should anticipate a call no later than the next business day.  You will receive a confirmation email from our office that your information has been received and someone will be contacting you soon.

4. Email

If you have experience working in a fast-paced office like ours, you understand that the day can get away from you.  There are days when I’m on-site at a client’s property or bogged down on a project at the office and cannot speak on the phone.  If you’re like me though, chances are you carry your phone with you everywhere you go.  I wish some days I could punt my phone into the Ohio River, but the reality is these things are essential to our everyday life.  Aside from creating way too many time-consuming distractions, cell phones also do so many things for us.

For me, I get all of my emails sent directly to my phone.  So, if you have tried contacting us and maybe haven’t heard back as quickly as you’d like, please feel free to email me at JDM@GKT.com.  Much like with the other forms of contact, I try to respond to everyone as quickly as I can.  I promise you that each prospect and client means everything to us and we want to speak to you as quickly as we can.

5. Social Media

Gold, Khourey & Turak Facebook for Oil and Gas Law

We are also available to assist you on our social media platforms.  If you haven’t done so already, please visit our Gold, Khourey and Turak Facebook page and like and follow us.  You can also give us a follow on our Twitter page @ChooseGKT.  If you’d like to use these platforms to contact us, please feel free to do so.  Our marketing director, George Bamberger, handles these accounts and can connect with you there.  George will get your information to the proper party within the firm so that we can help you.  If nothing else, like and follow our pages for a chance to enter different drawings and giveaways we have throughout the year.

We Are Here To Help You

In my years of experience with GKT, the one thing I’ve come to quickly realize is that there is a certain amount of apprehension about contacting an attorney.  We realize it’s not the easiest thing to do, and it can be stressful.  If you take nothing else away from this blog, you should understand we are here to help you.   We do not represent big business or the Oil and Gas industry, so we are right there in the trenches representing individuals and our friends and neighbors throughout the Ohio Valley.

Sometimes you just need someone to listen and stand up for you.  Give us a call at (304) 845-9750 and allow us to be your voice.  If we can help you, we will.  If we can’t, we’ll tell you that too and oftentimes can provide you with some advice and/or a referral to another attorney that might be able to help you.  Whether you’re injured in an accident, being denied social security benefits, or you need help negotiating or fighting with the oil and gas companies, we are here to help you.

I’ve outlined many different ways you can reach us to hopefully make the initial contact as quick and as painless as possible.