If I reach out to you, will your firm guarantee a consultation?
No. Let me explain, though. Assume someone (whom I don't know) calls the firm requesting assistance. The call goes to voicemail. The person decides to leave a lengthy and detailed message. Based on the voicemail, I immediately know that I either cannot or will not represent the person. Obviously, a full-fledged consultation, at least one including the level of depth I associate with a “consultation,” would be wasteful to us both. I'll normally let the person know.
More generally, the firm declines matters for a host of reasons. In these instances, sometimes there is a consultation, including a meaningful dialogue regarding the possibility of representation. Many times, though, there is not. Perhaps someone characterizes a dispute as involving “fraud,” when, in reality, it calls for services well outside the firm's focus. Or there may be legal or regulatory reasons preventing an engagement.
If I believe there is another firm or attorney more suitable for a matter, or that/who can provide more valuable and cost-effective services, I will typically communicate this.
Content posted July 1, 2023.
