Contact

Charles Rho

Rho Law Group, P.C.

5420 Trabuco Road, Suite 150

Irvine, CA 92620

(949) 620-7777

www.rholawgroup.com

How a Client-Centered Approach and Multicultural Awareness Drive Success

"The overriding goal of a personal injury or worker’s compensation attorney is to keep his or her clients happy. That’s the job in a nutshell and our growth between the then and now showcases just how well our approach works,” says Charles Rho, Founder of Rho Law Group, P.C.

His philosophy has proven itself in the consistent expansion of his firm. Rho Law Group employs 16 people: Rho, an associate counsel who speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, three hearing representatives who all speak Spanish, one full-time marketer, and a roster of case managers. 

The firm’s second attorney, also a top tier graduate, is fluent in the Mandarin and Cantonese dialect and can also speak directly to clients who are not able to communicate in English. The three recently hired case managers are graduates of top tier law schools and will be taking the California State Bar exam in the near future. Case managers work directly with clients from the inception of their cases through settlement or trial. They direct the workflow of each case, answer any questions that clients have, and act as a liaison between the client and the insurance carrier and defense counsel. 

“Having the new bi-lingual case managers in addition to our Spanish-speaking hearing representative and our bi-lingual attorney, assures that all of the clients have an opportunity to speak directly with a representative of our office who understands their concerns and can address them adequately,” Rho says.

Studies show that one of the biggest and most common complaints from attorney and law firm clients is the lack of one-on-one communication with their attorney. Clients have a legitimate need to be assured that the attorney they sought and retained not only understands their issues and is prepared to advocate for them, but is also readily available to them. That’s one of the main reasons Rho makes it his policy to speak personally to each new client and to advise them about the law relating to their situation. He also does his homework and is fully able to discuss the individual circumstances of the client’s case and to describe the firm’s plan of representation. This personal touch gives clients confidence in the firm, allows Rho to answer any questions, and to dispel any erroneous information which may interfere with their cooperation in the handling of their case.

One of the new developments is the formation of a litigation department. Previously they handled all litigation through associated counsel. The new in-house department ensures a closer working relationship with clients and a way of being directly responsive in prosecution and settlement of their claims. By maintaining a tighter control of the litigation process, the firm’s clients feel more secure in representation and more comfortable in how their case is being handled. 



Expanding Demographics Leads to Expanding Services

The additional personnel and the expansion into new offices reflects changes in the firm’s client base and in the community at large. Many of the people creating that expansion fall into the category of underserved people.

The Asian population of Irvine is 44.1 percent and the percentage of the population claiming two or more races is 11.2 percent and the Hispanic community residing in Irvine constitute 11.3 percent. One way Rho’s firm meets the challenges of an expanding and increasingly diverse population is by providing clients translation services for speakers in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Spanish. Additionally, the attorneys and staff are always making efforts to continue their tradition of cultural awareness of the people who comprise their client base.

Rho says, “We have become readily familiar with the unique needs and wants of the demographics of our neighbors and we are now serving as well as the particular psychographic characteristics of each community. Our recognition of the specific needs and comfort level of each population has led to stronger client relations. We have witnessed increased client trust in our staff and confidence in our office.”

Many of his Asian and Hispanic clients face challenges unique to their personal, business, or cultural needs when they first approach attorneys who only speak English, a challenge compounded when the firm keeps “office hours” and is slow to respond.

Rho says, “It’s important to understand the needs of a diverse group of clients, but it’s just as important for them to know that you, their attorney or their law firm, will be there whenever needed, not just when the attorney gets around to returning a call or an e-mail. We’re on call 24/7 for our clients.”

Clients agree. 

“Charles Rho was very helpful and nice and I definitely recommend him! He also speaks perfect Spanish which is great for Latinos who are in need of help.” —Angelica P.

Speaking from Experience

During his high school years, Rho lived in Sydney, Australia. His parents had work permits and weren’t citizens or residents with a permanent visa. Prior to moving to the U.S., they hired an attorney to help move the process along as swiftly and as efficiently as possible. The family wasn’t wealthy and struggled with the costs of immigration, including legal fees. “I remember it seemed like the attorney was just billing and billing and billing. When you come across clients who are having a tough time making ends meet and yet are in real need of a good attorney, I remember those days. Seeing good people in the same position I used to be in gives me a strong connection to help them as much as I can, not just the financial incentive, but in understanding what these people are going through and in helping them get through it.”

No “Lost Causes”

People who make the mistake of attempting to handle their own legal challenges or people who have experienced an attorney or firm failing to provide adequate services discover the attorneys at Rho Law Group do not believe in so-called lost causes. Rho says, “We refuse to label a case as lost. We use our best efforts to make sure that all appropriate legal representation and processes available under the law have been provided to make each case.”

For example, recently a client arrived totally lost within the complicated legal environment of workers’ compensation. He thought his case was hopeless, but the reputation of the firm and the man’s desperation brought him in. The attorneys began by correcting his application to reflect two specific back injuries occurring on different dates and a continuous trauma injury that occurred while he was employed. They were successful in getting their client’s claims accepted by the insurance company and to successfully demand that his back surgery be approved and provided. 

The attorneys worked with the insurance carrier to obtain total temporary payments for the time of their client’s incapacitation and to monitor those payments to ensure they were made in a timely manner. They also made sure that the client received necessary medical treatment and recuperative therapy in the medical provider network (MPN). The client’s deposition, taken more than a year later, revealed injuries from two prior auto accidents. Such revelations often provide an avenue for defendants to apportion the cause of the injury away from the trauma that occurred while the applicant was employed and to minimize the injuries deemed job-related. The defendants attempted to settle the claim to limit their exposure based on the two prior auto accidents. Rho Law Group attorneys did not believe it was in their client’s best interest to settle. They also referred the client to a psychologist for further treatment to enhance his medical treatment and to develop the case further. The defendant made contact several times regarding an early settlement, but the offers were not considered meritorious. Eventually the defendant insurance carrier agreed to settle the claim for $115,000, which was agreeable to the client. 

Working with clients who feel their case is worthless is a challenge and for Rho perhaps the biggest challenge. “They’re always in a tough place. They have rent to pay, car payments, medical bills, kids in school and so on and so on and they tend to drop a lot of that emotional baggage on their attorney. You have to listen and be sympathetic, but at the same time, you don’t want to give them false promise just because they’re struggling. You have to be firm and tell them the consequences while reassuring them that you’re going to give them the 100 percent of your time, energy and expertise they deserve.”

Continual Evolution

“Our office culture continually evolves in that we challenge our ability to provide legal services in an environment of multi-culturalism. We strive to create a culture of openness, and inclusivity not only within the firm, but in all our client relations and our provision of services,” Rho says.

The attorneys and staff believe firmly that personal participation on the part of the attorney builds a strong bond of trust on the part of the client and leads to a better working relationship. This in turn leads to better case resolutions and, ultimately, achieving the goal of making clients happy. Creating that client happiness feeling is the genuine sense of family. That sense is expressed by a concerned and capable staff working as a team providing legal services through employees who enjoy working together and who value and appreciate their working relationships with each other. This sense of cooperation, and the familial environment extends to the way in which they provide legal services. 

Rho sees that everyone in the firm is continually educated and trained in diversity and to directly and successfully address any resistance or bias that arise. Each employee works diligently to make each client feel at home when they call or appear for a personal appointment. This personal touch is matched by the creation of true working relationships with clients and to understand each of their particular situations and how these situations interact or affect their legal issues. The attorneys practice genuine two-way communication with clients rather than engaging in “canned” questions and cursory responses to important questions. They seek to engage clients in meaningful dialogue to ensure the clients feel involved in the prosecution of their claim and that they are genuine part of the resolution process. Rho says, “Our clients come to understand that our legal representation is more than mere case-handling, but a step in making their lives better.”

Rho is equally conscientious with his staff. He does not employ an office manager and prefers to work with everyone in the firm in person. “I’m very direct with people; I don’t want to have a middle person who delays or even blocks the process. If they come, if they need something, I tell them yes or no and the decision is done, so they don’t have to wait.”