It's rare these days to hear anyone talk about lawyers without mentioning the high price tag that often goes along with them. While the billing and payment requirements for law firms may vary, if you do some research you will find that many attorneys provide free initial consultations for prospective clients. A free consultation is a "priceless" opportunity to find out if your case qualifies for legal assistance and what steps you would need to take if you do ultimately decide to take legal action on your issue.
The legal world can be very confusing to those who find themselves in need of attorney services. The average person will have many questions that need to be answered before even hiring an attorney. Do I need a lawyer? What kind of case do I have? Will I have to go to court? And most of all, how much is this all going to cost?
Why do lawyers provide free consultations?
You might have heard the expression, free advice is worth what you pay for it, but that is not true when it comes to getting a free legal consultation from a licensed attorney. You might wonder, if lawyers charge so much, why are they willing to give me a free consultation? Lawyers provide free legal consultations for a lot of reasons, but here are the top 3:
• Reason #1: They want your business. A law firm provides services to the public just like a restaurant does. Although they might be selling divorces instead of pizzas, they still need to be competitive in the market.
• Reason #2: They need to evaluate your case to find out if you qualify for their services. An experienced attorney can quickly tell if your case is worth anything and whether you meet the requirements for certain legal actions.
• Reason #3: They need to find out if they have a conflict with you. Ethical rules in all jurisdictions prevent attorneys from taking any adverse action against a previous client. It will be a waste of time and an ethical problem if you pay to get your case started and the law firm finds out they represented your soon-to-be ex-husband in his car accident.
How do I find a free consultation?
Look in the phone book! Remember phone books? Well, businesses, including law firms, still advertise in them. Look for ads that have the words "free initial interview," "no charge for an initial consultation," "free consultation," or "free initial consultation."
If the only law firm advertising a free initial consultation is not located near you, choose a law firm in a better location that you think you might be interested in working with and call and ask them if they will do a free initial consultation with you. Many law firms do provide free consultations for people who call and ask about them even if they don't specifically advertise that service in their print and web ads. Don't sweat it if they say no to a free consultation. Just say "thank you" and move on to the next law firm.
Of course, don't forget to look on the web. Many law firms have websites that will include information about whether the firm will provide a free initial consultation. Use your favorite search engine to search for keywords like "attorney free consultation" and include the state where you live. You might not limit yourself to your city as many law firms provide services in a range of areas in any given state.
