A longtime Tri-City attorney has launched a new practice that he describes as “urgent care for the legal system.”

Consult with Shea PC provides an alternative to traditional law firms: a consultation-based practice with flat rates and same-day appointments.

“I’m not the emergency room … and I’m not the specialist that you have to wait weeks or months to get in to see,” said owner Shea Meehan.

Meehan first came to the Tri-Cities in 2005. He was a partner at Walker Heye for 16 years and a managing partner for 10 of those years.

During his time there, his work focused on business owners.

After spending a year as Gravis Law’s chief operating officer, he took a sabbatical that changed the way he wanted to practice law.

Meehan realized that “what I really enjoyed most about practicing law is when people would come into my office, and they would be stressed and anxious and burdened, and I’d get to talk to them, and they could leave relieved.”

That’s how Consult with Shea was born. 

Consulting-based service

Launched in March, Meehan’s new business focuses on consultations.

“Anybody who comes to me for a consultation is a client,” he said. “My duty to them is to provide them with as much help and assistance as I can in the 50 minutes that we’re consulting.”

Meehan is a civil practitioner, which means he doesn’t consult on immigration, criminal matters or firearms rights.

He can tackle cases related to business startups, workplace harassment and offers of employment.

If Consult with Shea is the urgent care of legal practices, then part of the work is triaging. 

Some clients may have continuing legal issues and need traditional representation. Meehan can help get them started and refer them elsewhere. 

Others may lack resources and don’t wish to hire traditional legal counsel. For these clients, Meehan’s goal is to “help them help themselves.”

“If you’re a businessperson and you got a $50 million business and you want to talk to your attorney, you just pick up the phone and call your attorney, and you probably have their cell number too,” Meehan said.

What he aims to do is give that same opportunity to the average person who doesn’t have an ongoing attorney relationship.

Accessible to clients

Meehan is the sole attorney and owner at Consult with Shea, a practice which is wholly virtual.

Because he doesn’t have to plan around staff, he can offer weekend and evening appointments, enabling clients to book consultations without taking time off work.

“There are people who don’t vote because they can’t get off work,” Meehan said. “There are certainly people who forgo the legal assistance that they need because they can’t get the time off.”

He’s licensed in both Washington and Oregon, and a virtual practice means that he can “serve people in Pomeroy or Washtucna, as well as people in Forks or Port Angeles or Lakeview, Oregon.” He’s currently based in Portland.

Rural areas are important to Meehan’s practice because they have limited access to attorneys.

“There are a dozen or so counties in the state of Washington that don’t have 25 attorneys, may not have a dozen attorneys in the whole county,” he said.

Meehan’s flexible hours enable clients to make appointments quickly, sometimes on the same day. Four hours of advance notice are required.

Meehan’s fees are upfront: $165 for a 50-minute consultation. He had been billing $400 an hour at his previous practice. 

If a client needs to have additional work done, there’s a flat fee.

For Meehan, the value of his practice is not just in the legal work provided, but in the overall well-being of his clients. 

People can get stressed over legal matters to the point where it impacts their mental and physical health. Meehan said “by getting in quickly to talk to an attorney and get direction and guidance … they are actually doing themselves good.”

Go to: consultwithshea.com.