Hardcastle & Shober
Attorneys Concentrating in the
Resolution and Trial of
Commercial and Other Civil Disputes
(617) 248-2240
When a company is facing a lawsuit or a business executive is facing an unforeseen job termination or an individual has been grievously injured in an accident, their initial impulse may be to look to a big, high-profile law firm to unleash its top gun trial attorneys and legions of associates to leave no stone unturned and no remotely plausible legal argument unmade. Those law firms typically are generously staffed by aggressive attorneys, eager paralegals, and a virtual army of legal secretaries, technology specialists, librarians, experts, investigators, etc. We know – that is where we were before we founded Hardcastle & Shober.
Our model is different, although we believe our results are equally (if not more) satisfactory to our clients. While those seeking legal assistance naturally still require high quality services, we have found in recent years that prospective clients have become increasingly sensitive to the costs of such services. We differentiate ourselves from the bigger firms by combining the necessary skillful lawyering with effective cost-control measures. We have the proven ability and track record to satisfy our clients' demand for quality and range of experience, and we have built a law firm infrastructure that allows us to handle our clients' legal needs in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Substance over form. We practice law. We handle complex matters and do it well (take a look at some of our notable cases). We also handle not-so-complex matters and do it well. Our office is comfortable, functional, and located where it needs to be for our practice, but you won't see a lot of polished brass or expensive artwork when you visit. We don't “wine and dine” our clients, and if you want a lawyer who is going to let you use the firm's seats at Fenway, you have come to the wrong place. We keep our costs down so we can keep your bills down. The 21st century has brought technological advancements that have greatly reduced the costs and staffing required to handle complex litigation. A subscription to Lexis eliminates the need for a legal library, scanning and e-mail eliminates much of the paper, and in federal court everything is filed electronically. Twenty years ago it might not have been the case, but today there is very little that a single experienced attorney cannot do on his or her own.
What kind of work do we handle? A pretty wide variety; mostly, but not entirely, litigation-related matters. We don't do criminal, divorce, or patent work. Those are specialized areas that we don't pretend to have the experience to handle and don't think should be handled other than by attorneys with training and experience in those areas. Beyond that, we have handled about every type of litigation there is. Many of our cases come from referrals from our friends and colleagues at the big firms, who recognize our ability to handle their clients' litigation needs when those needs cannot be met cost-effectively at the big firms. In that context, we are particularly well-suited for employment discrimination defense work and environmental litigation, because that type of work tends to be time consuming and sufficiently complex that experience counts. We also receive a steady stream of referrals for individual tort claims, ranging from recovering for injuries sustained in an auto accident to more complex products and premises liability cases. In addition, we do a fair amount of insurance defense, coverage, and subrogation work assigned to us by insurance companies. Over the years, we also have developed relationships with a number of small and medium sized companies that, in addition to having us handle their litigation needs, look to us for general legal advice, including with respect to employment law compliance, contract needs, environmental compliance, and shareholder issues. We work with executives in negotiating terms of employment and, lately all too often, separation agreements.
We have the ability to be creative and flexible in our billing arrangements and are more than happy, for example, to consider helping you collect from a delinquent customer on a contingent fee basis or bringing a breach of contract action for you under a hybrid arrangement that is part hourly fee and part contingent fee. In appropriate circumstances, we even have done work on a set/flat fee basis.
