File Retention Policy
If you are a client of J. Houston Bales, you may request a copy of your file at any time. Please submit
your request to the firm in writing, and you will be provided the requested copy as soon as practicable.
We reserve the right to charge reasonable fees for photocopies and postage, and your copy will not be
delivered until this charge is paid. If you do not request a copy of your file, we will hold on to your file
subject to our file retention policy.
Our file retention policy is to retain all physical files until the end of the calendar year, at which time
the file will be digitized and the physical file destroyed. The digital copy will be retained for a
minimum of five years.
Certain files may be retained for longer periods of time at our discretion.
Late Payment Policy
All bills submitted by the firm for payment are due upon receipt and must be paid within 15 days. If a
bill remains unpaid for one month, we will charge interest of 10% annually, which adds .8% every
month to the bill until it is paid in full. If a bill goes three months without being paid, we reserve the
right to withdraw from the matter and terminate the attorney-client relationship.
Office Appointments
Office appointments are important to handling anyone’s case, and I want to give all my clients the
attention they deserve. To do that, we ask for your understanding regarding our office visit policies.
Any scheduled conference may be rescheduled on canceled with at least 24 hours notice. I cannot
guarantee office appointments can be rescheduled with less notice, and may charge for cancellations
and no-shows. Appointments will be canceled 15 minutes after they were scheduled to begin if you
cannot make the appointment. I cannot guarantee after an appointment has been canceled that I will
still meet with you. I will do my best to accommodate you; all I ask is that you do the same for my time
and the time of my other clients.
Legal Advice
Nothing on this website should be interpreted as legal advice, nor should anything on this website be
understood to create an attorney-client relationship between anyone and J. Houston Bales. Any
statements on this website are statements of opinion only.
Immediate Results
The legal process is often lengthy, and if you choose to retain me, understand that immediate results are
neither expected nor promised. While I will not delay the matter unduly, please understand that the speed
at which the matter will resolve is not up to me.
Favorable Outcome Not Guaranteed
When considering hiring an attorney, understand that all litigation is subject to many variables, and the
exact outcome of any matter is difficult to predict. I cannot and will not make any guarantees about the
outcome of any case. I will advise on how I believe the court might decide certain issues, or how any
case might be settled, but please understand that any advice and/or opinions I may offer are not to be
construed as guarantees or promises of any specific outcome. If you hire me, I will work diligently to
resolve matters to your satisfaction, make every effort to inform you of what is going on in your case,
and respond in a timely manner to your questions. I cannot promise you any success in any matter, or
any specific or favorable outcome.