Why don’t we offer free consultations?
Prospective clients sometimes question why we charge for initial consultations and require payment up front. We’ve come up with at least six good reasons why.
- Complexity. Clients are typically referred to our office with complex or unusual real-estate-related or other commercial issues. We almost always have to apply considerable expertise and effort to diagnose the “patient” — expertise that has taken literally decades to acquire, and expertise that few other firms have.
- Getting back to you. We hear that when prospective clients go to non-specialized attorneys for so-called “free consultations,” the typical advice they receive is “Let me get back to you.” And then they still end up having to pay for the lawyer to “get back to them.” We’re not a “let-me-get-back-to-you” type of firm. At the end of your initial consultation you should have a pretty good idea of whether we can help you address your challenges, potential strategies and tactics we’d propose, the likelihood of success, and the range of likely costs.
- Real estate title. Almost all of our cases have a real estate component to them. We are rarely able to properly diagnose our clients’ matters without actually performing an on-line title search of the parcels of real estate that may be involved and preparing title reports. This is akin to taking a client’s “vital signs” before diagnosis. This is an exercise that is time consuming and involves some out-of-pocket costs to perform. We simply can’t afford to perform this exercise and risk a client no-show. Plus, we like to hit the ground running as soon as a prospective client shows up in our office — with an already fulsome appreciation for the prospective client’s case.
- Volume and value. Abe Lincoln’s wisdom still holds true: “An attorney’s time and advice is his stock in trade.” Given the volume of calls and requests we get, we can’t afford to give away our stock in trade for free.
- Seriously. We believe that if prospective clients don’t pay something for our time and advice, then we can’t take ourselves seriously. We trust that you, as a prospective client, will agree that after your initial consultation with us you will get serious treatment and you will get more than what you paid for.
- Referrals / Collaboration. If we conclude that we are not best equipped to handle your matter, we can collaborate with or refer you to other attorneys who have the expertise you might need. And we will follow up. Over the last 28 years we have developed a collaborative network of attorneys who we feel are the best in their practice areas (such as bankruptcy, real estate transactions, real estate title search, condominium / HOA, tax, estate planning, corporate, etc.).*
To arrange for an initial consultation:
If you would like to arrange for an initial prospective client consultation, and after we have ruled out any conflicts, we would ask that you click on this Information Form hyperlink (which will open an Adobe Reader© intake form in another window), download, and fill in all of the form fields. After you have completed the form, you should click on the “Submit-by-Email” button and follow the prompts. (You can also print the form and bring it with you.)
We will keep your information absolutely confidential. We need this information to get to know you better and to evaluate your situation. (It will also make the initial consultation go more smoothly.)
Given our court and deposition schedules, we typically prefer to schedule initial interviews on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Under special circumstances, weekend and after-hour appointments can be arranged.
By contacting us, or providing us with information you are not creating an attorney-client relationship. A written agreement as to the specific scope and terms of employment is required before an attorney-client relationship can be established. (But, note, too, that even if we do not become your attorneys, any information that you provide to us will remain absolutely confidential… unless, of course, it has to do with the prospective commission of a crime or a fraud.)
*We neither accept nor make “referral fees.” Although such a practice is unethical, it is still, unfortunately, common. We take pride in getting prospective clients to or associating with the best lawyers for the job… not the ones who pay kickbacks.