The Free Consultation
We’ve all seen them. The attorney advertisements with the words “free initial consultation” in eye-catching font. “Call me– it’s free”. “1-800-call-Tom”. I am the first to admit, the free consultation slogan is prominently displayed on many of my ads. And if you call me for a brief bit of general information or to discuss my qualifications to handle a particular legal matter, I will not charge you. I am always amazed though, at the number of people who call me with the idea that in a free consultation I am going to single-handedly resolve a complex legal dispute that has been brewing for years. Believe me, I wish I could resolve a bitter child custody battle or commercial landlord tenant situation in a single phone call or half hour office conference. It’s just not that easy though. Why then, you may ask, do lawyers utilize the free consultation?
Most of the time the initial consultation serves to define the legal issues to be tackled in the mind of both the attorney and potential client, to determine if the legal problem is within the lawyer’s realm of expertise and to attempt to set out a course of action if the client decides to retain the lawyer. You can learn much about a lawyer through the initial interview. Does he have an aggressive or confrontational style? Is she a good listener? Does he waste your time telling self-agrandizing war stories? How many similar cases has the lawyer handled? This is all important information. So, when it comes to the free consultation, the old saying “you get what you pay for” may not be entirely true. If you know what questions to ask the first time you talk to a lawyer, the free consultation can be invaluable.
