FAQs

No. The Penalta Law Firm does not offer free consultations. Our introductory conference is a paid consultation: $175 for up to 30 minutes. Call Ava, our Super Intelligence intake assistant and team member, at (386) 847-5335 for brief intake, or use Book & pay $175 on the Home or Contact page (Square Appointments). The $175 fee is paid when you book and is nonrefundable because the slot is held for you. Intake prepares the basics so your attorney can use the half-hour for counseling, clarity, risks, options, and a recommended next step. After that conference, representation continues only by engagement letter, generally on an hourly basis.

Yes. Telephone and video conferences are available any day, including late evenings and weekends. You can book through 9:00 PM Eastern Time. After 5:00 PM, conferences are telephone or video only. In-person conferences are at the Edgewater office during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, by appointment. Palm Coast and Boca Raton conferences are telephone or video only. The Edgewater office is not a 24-hour walk-in. Call Ava at (386) 847-5335 or use Book & pay $175.

The firm is available 24 hours a day by telephone. Ava takes calls day and night, including weekends. Emergencies do not keep a weekday schedule. You can book a consultation through 9:00 PM Eastern Time. Appointments after 5:00 PM are telephone or video conference only. Edgewater in-person conferences are by appointment during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Palm Coast and Boca Raton conferences are telephone or video only. The Edgewater office is not open for walk-ins around the clock.

Yes. We provide legal services and client representation throughout the state of Florida. Our attorneys work with clients statewide, including matters that can be handled remotely or through in-person appearances when required.

We offer legal representation in administrative hearings, arbitration, mediation, negotiations, and civil litigation, including trials before a judge or jury when necessary.

Our firm provides legal services across a wide range of practice areas, including administrative law; animal and pet law; aviation and drone law; boating, maritime, and watersports matters; business and civil litigation; criminal defense; contracts; firearms and self-defense law; insurance disputes; real estate and private property litigation; professional license defense; wills and estate disputes; and related regulatory and enforcement matters.

Ava, our Super Intelligence intake assistant and team member, is available 24 hours a day, including late evenings and weekends. She answers first on purpose. She is a virtual team member, not a substitute for your lawyer. She captures what happened, who is involved, and any deadlines so your paid consultation is used for attorney judgment, not for repeating your story into a blank notepad. If you have an emergency, call (386) 847-5335 so you are not left calling another firm overnight. You can also book through 9:00 PM Eastern Time with Book & pay $175 on the Home or Contact page.

The paid consultation is counseling, not a deposit on a lawsuit. You are paying for 30 minutes of attorney attention about your facts, much like paying a psychologist or psychiatrist for a session. Taking a case for full representation or litigation is a separate business decision later for both sides. Even when full engagement is not the right fit, a strong consult can still give you clarity, warn you what not to do, outline options, and help you avoid a costlier mistake. If we can help further, you will know how. Either way, you received the counseling you paid for. We run a professional practice: time is the inventory, and reserved attorney time is how serious matters get serious attention.

In those 30 minutes, the attorney works toward: (1) clarity on what kind of problem this is, (2) risk and timing, (3) practical options in plain language, (4) whether the firm is the right fit and what level of help makes sense, and (5) a recommended next step you can accept, change, or decline. It is not a guarantee of a particular result and not automatic full representation.

Most people land in one of three places: direction only (the consult itself gives you enough to decide what to do next), a brief engagement (limited, defined attorney help), or a full engagement (including litigation when the facts and goals call for it). You choose the path after counseling, with eyes open.