As a solo attorney, you have probably wondered whether you should charge a prospective client for an initial consultation. In actuality, some attorneys charge for an initial consultation, whereas others do not. There are several valid reasons to charge for an initial appointment, but there are also motivations that might cause a solo attorney to avoid charging a fee for a consultation.
Should you charge prospective clients for their first hour-long conversation with you? Ultimately, the choice is up to you. If you are at the point in your career where you want as many potential clients as possible to walk through your door, you might be inclined to offer a free initial consultation. On the other hand, you might not want to offer free hours of your time to people who may walk out of your office and never contact you again. This topic is a true quandary that many solo attorneys must deliberate on a regular basis.
If you are debating whether you should charge a fee for an initial consultation with a prospective client, make sure to take the following factors into consideration:
How many prospective clients contact you on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis? If you typically receive a few calls a day from prospective clients asking for a consultation, you might not have time to provide each one with a free consultation. Realistically, two or three consultations a day can consume more than a few hours of your work day. Can you afford that – especially if the prospects do not turn into actual clients?
Are you good at screening prospective clients over the phone? Over the course of your career as a solo attorney, you will undoubtedly become increasingly skilled at screening prospective clients who contact you via phone or email. You may choose to offer a free consultation to those individuals you deem to be excellent prospects as far as becoming paying clients.
Is your legal practice currently in a growth phase? If you are trying to grow your legal practice, one way to accomplish your goal is to have as many individuals as possible meet with you for an in-person consultation. This may require that you offer a free consultation to as many people as you can for a period of time.
Did prospective clients find you through an internet search or a word-of-mouth referral? Word-of-mouth referrals can provide you with some of the most promising prospective clients. You might elect to offer a free initial consultation to people who were recommended to you by a friend, an acquaintance, or a colleague.
Are you willing to charge a flat fee that is not equal to your normal hourly rate for an initial consultation? Some solo attorneys do not charge prospective clients their normal hourly rate for a consultation. For example, their normal hourly rate might be $200 per hour, but they may charge a flat rate of $100 for an initial consultation with a prospective client.
A prospective client who is willing to pay a fee for an initial consultation is typically someone who is more serious about ultimately paying for additional legal help than is a person who demands a free consultation. Even though the tactic of offering a free initial consultation can work, there’s little doubt that providing every prospective client with a free hour of time can result in your spending countless hours with individuals who will never become actual clients. Over time, you might modify your policy on free consultations depending on whether it makes sense for your solo law practice.
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