Tollestrup Law Is Open for Business

After several years of representing California clients on a range of matters, I am opening Tollestrup Law, APC — a solo California professional corporation based in San Diego — to focus on the kind of work I do best and the kind of client experience I think most people deserve.

This is a short note on what the firm does, what it does not do, and how it works.

What the firm does

Three practice areas, intentionally narrow:

• Personal Injury. Representing Californians who have been hurt because someone else was careless — auto, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian collisions; premises liability; dog bites; and similar serious-injury matters.
• Landlord-side counsel and lease drafting. Representing California landlords on the front end with custom leases, lease reviews, and counsel designed to head off disputes before they become lawsuits, and prosecuting unlawful-detainer actions when those efforts fail.
• Estate Planning. Wills, revocable living trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advance health care directives — straightforward California plans sized to the client's circumstances.

That is the entire menu. If your matter is outside these areas, I am happy to point you toward someone better suited.

What the firm does not do

I do not represent tenants in landlord-tenant matters. That is not a comment on the merits of tenant claims; the firm's lease-drafting and landlord-counseling practice would be hard to square with simultaneously suing landlords, so the line is clean by design.

I also do not handle criminal defense, family law, employment claims, or business litigation — there are excellent California lawyers who do, and I will refer.

How the firm works

A few principles, in plain language:

• You will work with me, not a rotating cast of associates and paralegals. When you call, I answer. When you email, I read it. When the matter goes to court, I am the one in court.
• Initial consultations are at no cost for personal-injury matters and at a flat fee for estate-planning matters, disclosed up front.
• Personal-injury matters are typically handled on a contingency fee — no fee unless we recover. The exact terms are set out in a written engagement letter.
• Landlord matters are billed hourly. For typical lease drafting and review, I can usually quote a not-to-exceed range up front.
• Estate plans are flat fee. You know the cost before you sign anything.
• Engagement letters are required before I open a matter. There is no "we'll figure out the fee later."

Where the firm is

The office is in San Diego (15094 Aramon Place, San Diego, CA 92127). I am admitted to practice in the State of California and represent clients across the state. From time to time I appear in other jurisdictions on a pro hac vice basis with local co-counsel; that is not the firm's general practice and is not what this site is about.

What this site is

This site exists to give clients enough information to decide whether to call. The blog covers questions clients ask repeatedly — California's two-year personal-injury deadline, the security-deposit cap, what a trust does and does not do, and similar evergreen topics — and tries to keep the answers in plain English. None of it is legal advice. All of it is starting points for a conversation.

If you have a matter you would like to discuss, contact the firm and we will set up a consultation.

— Matthew Tollestrup, Esq.

This article is general information about the firm and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this site; representation begins only when both the client and the firm sign a written engagement letter.