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Here’s the playbook that saved me when a deposit dispute snowballed last winter: start by writing a one-sentence brief so you don’t ramble (“month-to-month, deposit in limbo, two-week timeline”), then set a starter budget for 4–6 weeks and block two time slots you can actually make; next, pull a local directory and filter by practice areas that match your mess (tenancy, small claims, contracts), opening profiles to check posted hours, contact methods, and whether they describe scenarios like yours in normal language; I ping three candidates with the same short message—what happened, the outcome I’m aiming for, the deadline—and give first consult to whoever replies within a business day with a concrete next step rather than a template; for a neutral jump-off I keep Lawyers in Prince Rupert, BC bookmarked to spot nearby options without starting from zero; on the call I ask for a 30-day map (letters to send, documents to gather, decision gates where we pivot from settle to push), and I put money talk on the table early: expected retainer range, hourly vs flat for discrete tasks, plus extras like filing and courier fees; I show up with a one-page packet—dates, notices, screenshots—so minutes go to choices, not inbox archaeology; last filter is tone: can they translate without condescension, flag risks calmly, and offer at least two realistic paths; the person who hit those points wrapped my case faster than my stress level predicted.