Harper & Vale helps families and small businesses with wills, property, contracts and the hard conversations in between — explained plainly, priced openly, and handled by the attorney you actually meet.
Advice you can repeat to your family at dinner.
Fixed-fee options where the work allows it.
The person you meet is the person doing the work.
We keep our practice deliberately narrow, so every matter gets an attorney who handles that kind of work every week. If your matter falls outside it, we'll say so and suggest where to turn.
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives — written so your family can actually follow them.
Formation, partnership agreements and the everyday contracts a growing business signs without reading closely enough.
Purchases, sales and title questions, with someone who reads the fine print before closing day.
Separation, custody and support matters handled with care, and mediation when a calmer path is possible.
For employees and small employers: agreements, workplace policies and what to do when something goes wrong.
A small practice by choice. You'll have a direct line to the attorney handling your matter, not a rotating cast.
Eleanor started the practice to give families one steady point of contact for the decisions that outlive us. She is known for unhurried meetings and drafts that read like plain English.
Julian works with owner-run businesses and the people they employ. He prefers a well-drafted agreement today to a dispute later, and will tell you when a matter doesn’t need a lawyer at all.
Maya focuses on family matters and mediation, helping people reach durable agreements while keeping the temperature low — especially where children are involved.
Attorneys shown are illustrated sample profiles created for this concept.
Meeting a lawyer shouldn't feel like a test. Here's exactly how a first consultation runs, from booking to the follow-up.
We ask for names of the people involved so we can confirm we're free to help you. Please don't send confidential details until we've confirmed.
In person, by video or by phone. We'll ask the questions that matter and tell you honestly whether you need a lawyer for this at all.
The realistic paths forward, what each involves, and how fees would work for each — fixed, hourly or a mix.
A short note of what we discussed. If you decide to go ahead, we'll send an engagement letter; if not, that's the end of it.
Choose a time that suits you and tell us broadly what it's about. We'll confirm by email and run a conflict check before we meet.
We'll tell you the consultation fee, if any, when you book — before you commit to anything. If you go ahead with us, we explain how fees for the work itself are set before it begins.
No. An attorney–client relationship begins only once we've confirmed there's no conflict and you've signed an engagement letter. Until then, please don't send confidential information.
We'll say so straight away and, where we can, point you to the kind of lawyer or service better suited to help.
Video and phone consultations can often be arranged early in the morning or after work — mention it when you book.
For many matters, such as wills or a standard contract review, yes. Where work is harder to predict, we'll explain the estimate and keep you updated before it changes.