$299/year: http://www.nachi.org/counsel-on-call.htm
Is it unlimited counsel, or limited hour(s) during the year. Also is it immediate (same day) or there’s a wait?
Lastly, does the attorney covers entire US and is licensed to practice in all states?
Good questions.
The service is available to members anywhere in the the U.S. and Canada. Mark works full-time (our General Counsel) for InterNACHI now and so does not need a license to provide advice to his own members. He, of course, can’t represent you in a courtroom, should a dispute ever end up there. But that would be a rare event, especially if you’ve prepared in advance by consulting with Mark.
It is truly unlimited (no maximum number of hours). Mark is also an expert in asset protection and he wrote a book on how to pierce a corporate veil (so he knows what you need to be doing to keep that from happening). And of course he specializes in inspection issues… something most attorneys have no experience with. Don’t abuse the service by asking him for advice to improve your golf game though 
It is immediate help in most cases. Of course if you call him at 3AM in the morning, he’s probably not going to return the call until he wakes up, but it is essentially instant help, whenever you need it… and especially now, before you need it.
If you are in the inspection business, you should have Mark’s phone number on speed dial.
That’s awesome, thanks Nick
Dave
How about Québec?
Yes, it is offered to members in all provinces of Canada.
It’s not a bad deal if you are in the inspection industry. You get instant and unlimited access to consult with the one attorney in the world who has the most experience with inspectors. Your business is what Mark specializes in. His competence in handling inspection issues is unequaled. And now you can call him and get personalized help, one-on-one… any time you have a question or issue.
Hey Nick and Mark,
I thought Mark was brought into INACHI for general counsel as an member benefit? I just have not seen much interaction with Mark in the MB. A few posts here an there.
How is Marks new service better than Joe Ferry’s established service?
http://joeferry.com/claimintercept/
Will Mark complete written responses to claims or disputes? Will he review inspection agreements for the $299 fee? I would like to hear from Mark himself as well. I just see a few bullet points really. Can you give us recent examples of where Mark was able to make an baseless claim go away?
Thanks,
RT
Yes, in fact it is only available to members. Only members have an attorney who specializes in our particular industry on call and willing to provide unlimited consultation for $299/year. Mark used to charge about that amount per hour (not per year) in his private practice. It’s one of our highest-value benefits of membership IMHO.
Not much going on with legislation or licensing these days. If you have a specific legal question for him, feel free to post it in this forum so that he can reply here.
It’s one of many things Mark has been doing for years. Joe Ferry’s claim intercept is equally as excellent though. Joe also knows InterNACHI’s pre-inspection agreement inside and out.
If that is what he thinks is appropriate. Like me, Mark believes in trying soft approaches first, especially when real estate agents (who may refer you regularly) are privy to the issue.
Yes. But I sure hope you are using InterNACHI’s inspection agreement or a variation of it. Most inspection agreements that have been authored by attorneys unfamiliar with the inspection industry are atrocious, as I have been able to specifically demonstrate with my reviews.
That’s exactly why we launched the service. He’s an attorney who specializes in your business: InterNACHI "Counsel On Call"
No. But individual members who use the service are, of course, free to post their thoughts about the help they receive from it. Making a baseless claim go away is not difficult for an attorney who specializes in the inspection industry. Making a claim go away without harming your reputation locally with the agents that regularly refer you requires a bit more finesse. Finesse Mark possesses.
Ok. Thanks.
Thanks Nick, that is a great program. I will most likely sign up.
Its good to know that written responses to claims and disputes will be provided- when/if needed.
Thanks again
While we’re on the topic: http://www.nachi.org/avoiding-lawsuits.htm
Also, Mark is preparing a free legal webinar for members. Coming soon.
So right now I am a member of Joe Ferry’s program. In his program if you have a problem and you’re not a current member he won’t help you with that current situation. Is that the same case for Mark? If someone ends up in a situation can they pay the $299 and get help?
2nd bullet point (there are only two bullet points) in http://www.nachi.org/counsel-on-call.htm answers your question I believe.
The reason Joe Ferry and Mark Cohen probably insist on this isn’t because they are greedy little attorneys who want everyone to pay them now. It’s that they both know that the time to prepare for a claim is before you get one. If you wait until you get a claim, it’s usually too late. My recent review of your inspection agreement is evidence of that.
Got it thanks Nick.
Hi Nick,
Can you please clarify something for me?
This program is designed to help provide the initial response to the client’s complaint or threats of law suits, correct? And if the client is still not happy with the home inspector’s decision/initial response, we need to let our E&O know about it.
I am asking because as far as I know if our insurance finds out that they were not the first one to know about the incident and/or we have been working with someone else, they may decide not to help.
Thanks
No. That is just one of many things Mark can assist you with. If you wait to get a complaint to seek Mark’s help though… you’ve waited too long. The time to prepare for a complaint is long before you ever get one.
And of course you should always keep your insurance company alerted to any complaints that are more than an informal phone call. I would even alert your E&O insurance company of phone calls that include verbal threats of lawsuits.
Another service Mark will provide for you under this offer is to review your marketing material. You can scan and email it to him (you can also snail mail your physical brochures and marketing pieces to him) and let him look them over. You should also have him review your website.
More and more, courts hold inspectors to the promises/claims they make (or insinuate) in their marketing.
Interesting that you would make that comment considering the wording for a couple of the Buy Back logos. Incidentally I agree with your comment 100%.
It is also worthy of suspicion to have the vendor’s attorney … who is not licensed to practice law in your state … to advise you as to the legality or value of the vendor’s products and services, IMO.
Inspectors in need of legal advice are best served by obtaining it from a lawyer who is licensed to practice law in the state that they conduct their business. Mr. Cohen would tell you this, himself, if he were doing his own marketing.