The American Bar Association journal identified the most recent of a series of legal services provided “quick and easy.” As the story goes, the client signs up online, provides a summary of the issue, pays $39 and gets a call back in 15 minutes from an attorney who is willing to give him/her advice for 15 minutes. It all sounds good, until you act on what you think that advise was. This is not to say that the advise was bad, or that the attorney is not competent in the field of inquiry; it reflects on the time restrictions inherent in this business model.
It takes most people more than 15 minutes to describe the entirety of their issue without omitting facts they may not think are important. Most of the time, a competent attorney will take the time to ask relevant questions and guide a client through a fact finding process before offering guidance. Even in the most simple cases this will, more likely than not, take at least an hour. Only when all the facts have been disclosed and a proper analysis performed can a client leave with actionable advise. My advise? Find an attorney who is willing to meet with you on a fixed fee basis and don’t leave the office until you are satisfied and know what you need to make a decision on your legal issue.