I came across an article recently that purported to give advice on how to select a divorce attorney....

1. Secrets of a divorce attorney: Why a free consultation
isn’t worth the money - Oakland women and money
I came across an article recently that purported to give advice on how to select a divorce attorney.
One of the bits of advice was that most "reputable" attorneys will offer a free consultation. I was
stunned to hear this, as I think the precise opposite! In addition, this is a critical issue for women in
Oakland, as there are so many attorneys to choose from when getting a divorce that it can seem
impossible to make a choice. Finances are always an issue, so muddling though the myriad of
options can be daunting.
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The free consultation from the divorce attorney is a loss leader, which means that it's free because
the attorney is looking for the potential client to pay the big bucks at the end of the consultation. In
addition, the attorney doesn't offer anything of value to the potential client during the free
consultation.
Remember, you get what you pay for!
Many attorneys offer a free or reduced-cost
consultation and the appointment goes like this: the
potential client arrives and fills out some paperwork,
finishing after about 10-15 minutes. Then s/he waits
another 5-10 minutes, so the actual appointment
starts at least 15 minutes into the alloted "hour."
The attorney, naturally, want to know what's going
on, so the potential client spends at least 20-30
minutes - often this is closer to 45 minutes - telling
their "story" to the attorney. So, at this point, it's
been 45 minutes to an hour, and the attorney has
yet to *do* anything but sit and listen. At the end of
the consultation, the attorney says, well, yes. I can
help you with that. And the retainer will be $10,000.
Or $5,000. Or $20,000. So the potential client has
paid nothing to get nothing but a very high retainer quote, and the client has (unless s/he has the
money) wasted an hour or so of time.
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Is that worth it? Are these the practices of a "reputable" attorney?
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2. A paid consultation can be more worthwhile, as they tend to be a little longer and involve more
attorney advice and counsel. Often, the intake sheet is sent in advance, and the "hour" spent is really
an hour.
Another option is a Family Law Coach,
who takes your story ahead of time (!) in
the form of documents, email, faxes, a letter, etc., has the intake form completed in advance, and
spends most of the full hour giving YOU real advice that you can use now. Yes, the consultation
costs, but you get what you pay for.
Which would you choose?
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