What to Expect in a Lawyer Consultation

For many, retaining an attorney is a scary and foreign process. If you’re considering hiring a lawyer, you may have a number of questions and concerns, ranging from, “how expensive will this be?” to “what are my chances?” to “what do I need to bring with me?”

Every attorney is different, but there are a number of things you should expect going in, and a number of questions the lawyer should be able to answer. If the lawyer is not answering these questions to your satisfaction, then you should consider whether this particular attorney is a good fit.

First, it should be amply clear whether you are going to get charged for the consultation. As a general rule, our law firm charges clients at our attorneys’ hourly rates for initial consultations. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the legal matter, we will waive the initial consultation fee; however, this is a rare exception.

Second, you will likely wait until meeting with the attorney to know the strength of your case and what type of attorney fee the lawyer will represent you under. Many people want to know before they get through the door whether the lawyer will take their case on a contingency basis–where the lawyer only gets paid out of the proceeds from the suit. Unfortunately, the practice at Asheville Legal doesn’t always work for these kinds of fee agreements. As a general rule, contingent fees are for lawsuits with big damages and a high likelihood of success.

Third, you will need to bring with you, and be prepared to explain, the key documents you have related to your legal matter. This includes any contract documents, pivotal emails, insurance policies, and other key pieces of information.

Finally, before you leave the consultation, your lawyer should give you a good idea of what to expect in the weeks to come as your legal matter moves forward. You should have a rough idea of what the representation could cost you going forward, and what kinds of results to expect from that representation.

If you’re wondering if a consultation might benefit you, then you should give our law firm a call today. Our law firm will spend time on the phone with you to help determine if it’s worth your time and money to consult with us. That’s why we offer to do free short phone consultations--we don't want to waste anyone's time or money. Give us call today!