Choosing Your Condo Conversion Lawyer

At Zacks, Utrecht & Leadbetter, PC, you will find a firm of attorneys dedicated to providing you with excellent service.  Our condominium conversion department stands out as one of the best in San Francisco, and our attorneys frequently write articles for publication relating to current trends with TICs and condominium conversions. You may contact us at www.zulpc.com or at (415)956-8100.

To find a firm that is the right fit for you, we suggest asking the following questions before hiring an attorney for the condo process:

▪  How many attorneys in the firm are capable of working on your application?

With a firm of twelve attorneys focusing on all aspects of real property law, at Zacks, Utrecht & Leadbetter, there are two attorneys directly responsible for work relating to condo conversions, and a transactional partner, Denise Leadbetter, oversees every application.

▪  Will I be primarily working with an attorney on my application and throughout the process?

Yes, unlike many firms that have a paralegal handle your application and questions, at Zacks, Utrecht, and Leadbetter, the application is put together and questions are normally answered by our attorney, April Alderiso.  Ms. Alderiso’s primary responsibilities at the firm are devoted to assisting our condominium conversion clients.

▪  How long does it typically take for the attorney to respond to my questions?

This is an important question to ask.  Again, many times at other firms questions will be filtered through a secretary and/or paralegal, and an attorney may not respond in a timely manner.  At Zacks, Utrecht & Leadbetter, Ms. Alderiso normally responds within one or two business days to questions.  She is available directly to clients by phone or email.

▪  How often does the law firm correspond with the City staff involved with processing the condo conversion applications and performing the inspections?

You should hire an attorney that works on a regular basis with the City staff responsible for processing your application.  At Zacks, Utrecht, & Leadbetter, we are in constant communication with the various branches that handle the application and if a change in the rules or City policy arises, we are normally among the first to know. 

▪  Was the law firm involved with drafting the City’s current application, which was released in February of last year?

Several of the attorneys that regularly work with the City on condominium conversion applications were invited last year to review the draft of the revised application before it was released, and give their input.  Attorneys from Zacks, Utrecht, and Leadbetter were present and contributed ideas.

▪  Does the law firm handle various areas of real estate practice?

Although many clients do not need to hire an attorney for matters outside of processing the application, you should consider hiring a firm that has experience with additional legal matters that could arise, such as tenant issues or boundary disputes.   Zacks, Utrecht & Leadbetter is a full real estate service firm offering real estate services in transactional matters as well as litigation matters.  In addition, Ms. Alderiso is a licensed Real Estate broker that can assist you with legal documentation relating to the sale of your unit.

▪  How much does the firm charge for its services?

Many firms charge a higher flat rate than our firm, yet have a paralegal perform most of the work.  One reason they may gave you for the higher fee is because they are willing to obtain lender’s signature, which is not included in our flat fee.  Be aware that: 1.  Lender’s signature may not be required in some instances, 2.  Some lender’s will not sign, and 3.  Many clients are able to obtain the signature without the assistance of an attorney.  At Zacks, Utrecht & Leadbetter we can assist you with obtaining lender’s signature, but you only pay for this service if you need it.