Client Relationships.


Responsive and client-focused, with an eye on the bottom line.

Carnes Ely LLP has an abiding commitment to client service that both defines the firm's practice and, unfortunately, differentiates the firm from many others that do not share this commitment. If your matter is important enough to you to make you want to hire a lawyer, it is important to the firm as well.

Not only are Mr. Carnes' and Mr. Ely's office doors always open but, by design, they have no office doors. Clients are always welcome to contact them to discuss what matters to them, whether by coming by the office personally, telephoning, e-mailing, or other means. Every effort is made to return telephone calls or e-mails within two hours. Mr. Carnes and Mr. Ely also know that when clients engage the firm to handle their matters they need to then get on with their lives. As a result, they will be available to meet with clients during the evenings and even on Saturdays, by appointment.

Mr. Carnes and Mr. Ely endeavor to treat clients the same way they would like to be treated as a client. This does not stop with accessibility and responsiveness. Mr. Carnes' and Mr. Ely's commitment to client service extends to attempting to deliver the highest quality legal services available at a fraction of the cost encountered at Houston's largest, most prestigious firms - - the very firms they regularly encounter as their opposition.

This is made possible by controlling overhead and expenses. This does not mean that you will encounter folding chairs and card tables at the office or anything other than the latest available technology. What it does mean is that the offices are on the edge of downtown (still within walking distance of the Harris County Courthouses), not in downtown. You will not find an impressive library; the firm relies almost entirely on electronic sources for legal research, which drastically reduces costs.

In addition to keeping overhead low, the firm treats its cost centers as such and not additional profit opportunities. In-house copies and faxes are billed at half the predominant rate-because that's what it costs to make a copy or send a fax. Phone calls are billed at cost. The same is true of other expenses, including such things as online research. Most legal research can be done by the firm for a low flat-monthly rate, which the firm allocates to its clients based upon use. This type of billing is available only to law firms with fewer than four attorneys, and results in significantly lower costs associated with legal research.

In short, Carnes Ely LLP is in the legal business, not in the business of providing peripheral services, and the firm keeps its focus on delivering high quality legal services at a very competitive cost. The firm has found that this approach leads to satisfied clients. Satisfied clients not only tell their friends, they often also become friends. From Mr. Carnes' and Mr. Ely's perspective, there is nothing more rewarding than spending their days helping friends resolve their problems.