An initial free legal consultation is invaluable for an individual or an entity unsure about their options when facing a legal dilemma. A consultation provides the party with a realistic understanding of what to expect from their case, their legal options, and provides the legal team a chance to understand the nature of your legal situation. As you can already see, a free legal consultation is many things, and yet, a free legal consultation has its limitations. Allow us to prepare you with the limitations of a free legal consultation beforehand, so you don’t approach a lawyer’s office with expectations too low or too high.
Things You Shouldn’t Expect from a Free Legal Consultation
- A free consultation is not a session that would take you through the specifics of the corresponding law in question.
- A free consultation doesn’t educate you about the steps to litigate your own case.
- Although a consultation helps you realize your available options, it doesn’t qualify as “legal advice”, as legal advice involves a comprehensive study of laws that are relevant to your case and the study of the corresponding Court procedure.
- Lastly, a legal consultation is not a sales pitch. The legal advisors simply present the objective reality of your situation and leave the final choice for you to make.
Things You Could Expect from a Free Legal Consultation
- The first consultation is rather introductory in nature, it’s an opportunity for the lawyer to understand your legal issue at depth, it doesn’t matter how complicated the case is and the amount of time the team takes, the process involves an elaborate questioning session.
- The free consultation has a purpose, and the purpose is to inform the party of their available courses of action, the process is primarily in place in order to provide the party with the clarity they need in order to make an informed decision.
- For the client, it is important to get an estimate of the time it will take in order to resolve a case, and a free legal consultation provides just that. Having said that, it’s difficult to determine the investment of time it takes in the case of a complicated case.
- Since a free legal consultation concerns itself with plotting the future course of action, also expect the consultation to provide you with a rough estimate of the financial investment it will take from your end.
- Lastly, expect honesty. After understanding your case, expect the lawyer to present an objective assessment of your chances.
There are other factors that influence the expectations mentioned above, of which the most important is the nature of your case. For instance, a case that concerns itself with employment or immigration law is seemingly uncomplicated, and certain lawyers may prefer a telephonic consultancy. However, that may not be the case with complicated cases such as that of an estate plan. A free consultation is the first step towards a rewarding association between you and your trusted lawyer.