This California guide explains case costs & what attorneys advance. Start with this action: Ask your attorney specifically what costs may be incurred. Preserve this priority record: Written fee agreement with cost provisions. Avoid this common gap: Assuming attorney fees and costs are the same thing. The sections below organize the evidence, timing, practical questions, and consultation steps that may matter.
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Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full verified attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
For case costs & what attorneys advance, ask how prospective counsel would evaluate Written fee agreement with cost provisions and address the risk of Assuming attorney fees and costs are the same thing. No directory or topic page can determine the right attorney. Compare active-license status, directly relevant experience, communication, fees, conflicts, availability, and who would handle the work, then confirm case fit directly before choosing counsel.
Topic preparation notes
These notes explain what the issue may involve, which documents make the first review stronger, and when a direct consultation may be more useful than further browsing.
First action: Ask your attorney specifically what costs may be incurred. Next action: Understand whether costs are advanced or require out-of-pocket payment. Keep the order tied to actual dates so an attorney can distinguish completed actions, open requests, and assumptions.
Start with Written fee agreement with cost provisions and Estimated costs for your case type. Add List of what costs the attorney advances as a separate source, preserving who created or controls each item and when it was obtained.
Avoid Assuming attorney fees and costs are the same thing. Also guard against Not asking about potential cost amounts. A useful file separates confirmed facts, disputed points, and records that still need to be requested.
Compare the claim facts with the attorney's credentials, listed practice focus, and public sources.
Begin with this step: Ask your attorney specifically what costs may be incurred. Address urgent safety and necessary care before administrative preparation.
Preserve Written fee agreement with cost provisions and Estimated costs for your case type as separate sources. Record their dates, custodians, and any unanswered request.
Review the file for Assuming attorney fees and costs are the same thing and Not asking about potential cost amounts. Correct missing context without changing or discarding the original record.
Bring the organized records and questions to the consultation. An independent attorney can evaluate the actual facts only after reviewing them and can provide representation only under a separate agreement.
Start with this step: Ask your attorney specifically what costs may be incurred. Next: Understand whether costs are advanced or require out-of-pocket payment. Address urgent safety or medical needs first, and seek timely advice if a deadline or changing evidence may matter.
Prioritize these records: Written fee agreement with cost provisions; Estimated costs for your case type. Keep originals, note where each record came from, and identify anything requested but not yet received rather than treating a missing item as proof of what it would show.
Avoid this gap: Assuming attorney fees and costs are the same thing. Preserve the underlying facts and communications, separate what is known from what is assumed, and let a qualified attorney evaluate how the issue applies to the actual matter.
No. This guide is general information. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, and representation begins only if an independent attorney accepts the matter under a separate written agreement.
Compare active-license status, directly relevant experience, communication, fees, conflicts, availability, and who would handle the matter. Use the records and questions in this guide to evaluate case fit, then confirm those points directly before choosing counsel.
Attorney fees and case costs vary. Review the written fee agreement, percentage, litigation costs, repayment terms, and who is responsible for expenses before hiring counsel.
Review the attorney's public background and write down the questions you want answered in a consultation.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.