Priority Same-Day Appointments
Retainer members receive priority for same-day appointment requests when something needs attention quickly. Same-day service is subject to lawyer availability, conflicts and the nature of the matter.
Ongoing legal support for farmers
The “I'm Your Lawyer” Program
Most farmers have an accountant. Many have a banker, insurance broker and agronomist. But when a legal issue appears, do you already have a lawyer who knows your farm and is ready to take your call?
Your lawyer before there is a crisis
A Small Monthly Retainer. A Lawyer Already on Your Team.
The program is built for farms and rural businesses that regularly face contracts, employee questions, suppliers, equipment purchases, land issues, demands and decisions where a quick legal opinion can prevent a costly mistake.
Instead of searching for a lawyer after a deadline arrives, you already have an established relationship with David Chatten Law for the matters covered by your retainer.
Current pricing: Contact us for current monthly pricing
What the program can include
Legal Access That Fits Farm Life
After-Hours Contact
Legal problems are not limited to 9–5. Members have access to the designated retainer contact number for urgent issues outside ordinary business hours, subject to availability and the terms of the retainer.
One Hour of Advice Per Month
Use up to one hour each month for legal questions within the plan scope — by phone, video or appointment — before a problem becomes more complicated.
Basic Contract Review
Send us routine agreements for basic review within the program scope. Complex contracts, negotiations or drafting can be quoted separately.
Member Pricing
Preferred-member discount on additional legal work for larger matters that fall outside the monthly plan.
Authorized Receipt of Legal Documents
Where we have agreed in writing to do so, David Chatten Law can act as your authorized contact for service of specified legal documents directed to you or your farm.
A relationship you can identify
“David Chatten Is My Lawyer.”
For matters covered by your active retainer, you can identify David Chatten as your lawyer. That can be useful when dealing with a demand, contract issue, dispute or other situation where the other side needs to know that legal counsel is already involved.
Important: the monthly retainer does not automatically make the firm solicitor of record in every lawsuit, tribunal, prosecution or transaction. Representation in a particular proceeding depends on the scope of the retainer, conflict checks and any additional engagement required.
Why This Makes Sense for a Farm
Farmers regularly make legal decisions without calling them legal decisions. A new lease, a supplier agreement, an employee problem, a machinery purchase, an access dispute, a family transition or a demand letter can all have consequences far beyond the first conversation.
The value of a retained lawyer is not merely having someone to call when you are sued. It is having someone who knows enough about your farm to help spot the problem earlier.
Examples of Questions Members Might Call About
- “Can you look at this equipment agreement before I sign it?”
- “My neighbour says I cannot use the lane anymore. What should I do?”
- “A supplier sent me a demand letter and wants an answer tomorrow.”
- “We want our son to start buying into the farm. Where do we begin?”
- “Someone is threatening to sue the farm.”
- “The police want to speak with one of us. Should we talk to them?”
- “We need to hire someone and want a basic agreement reviewed.”
- “Can we send this notice to our lawyer instead of dealing with it ourselves?”
24/7/365 Access — With Realistic Expectations
The program is designed so members have an after-hours way to reach the firm for urgent retainer matters. You can call day or night rather than waiting for the next ordinary business day. Immediate live response cannot be guaranteed in every circumstance, and emergency response remains subject to lawyer availability, conflicts, court obligations and the scope of the retainer.
Program Terms
Each membership is governed by a written retainer setting out what is included, what is excluded, how monthly advice time is counted, the contract-review limit, any discounted pricing and the circumstances in which the firm will accept service of documents. Unused monthly time does not carry forward unless the written retainer says otherwise.