Should Attorneys Be Rethinking the Free Consultation?
Author: LexisNexis
…The overarching reason why free consultations are problematic is because attorneys are spending their already limited time in a manner that is not profitable in the short term and may not be profitable in the long term either…
…Standing in the shoes of a prospective client, a free consultation may not be particularly fruitful where the attorney is more focused on vetting the client and his or her claims instead of providing actionable guidance…
I have always done free ‘good karma’ calls for former or future clients. I am happy to share off-the-cuff knowledge, contact info or resource links without any expectations. I can see why an attorney would hesitate to provide legal advice without a formal relationship. I frequently run into questions that would require my time and effort to understand their infrastructure, policies, user practices, etc. Prospects understand that specific consulting advice takes time and has a price. What the LexisNexis article misses is the value in listening to a prospect’s pain points and concerns. These calls are one of my best ad hoc insights into our evolving challenges. A prospect may have run into an issue with O365 or their EV archive that has not surfaced at my clients yet. If I can solve it for my clients, why not call that prospect back with the fix? I just figure that if I can give away a simple answer this time, they will come back with budget when they have a complex problem that requires time and effort to address.
So I will continue to do free calls as long as my engagements give me time.
FYI, the LexisNexis research download is behind a contact wall. Something that irritates me as a general practice.