Legal opinion is knowing what to do, and it is not free.
Mostly, such inquiries and requests to see a lawyer may extend into several hours of meetings with the lawyer attending to such a client, reviewing documents, and giving an oral legal opinion to the client.
Whenever we call to follow up with these prospects, we discover that most of them have engaged another lawyer taking a lower fee or whom they claim is their relative; most already had a lawyer, and they were only ‘’window shopping’’ for legal opinions or to validate what someone or a lawyer had told them. Only a few genuines were unable to afford the fees for our services at that moment.
During our early years of legal practice and services, a new prospect walked into our office to inquire and see a lawyer. These were the days before business WhatsApp and other applications that allowed a business owner to engage and introduce their services and charges first to prospects before onboarding such prospects. So, using our inquiry form, a prospect is well informed that the services being sought are not free and decides if he or she will go on to engage us.
On this particular day, the prospect walked into our office in the morning. After filling out the inquiry form and paying the request fee, I happily followed a short education on the purpose of registration and consultation by myself, one other lawyer, and a client after an initial hesitation.
While we were letting the prospect know that the service he sought was not free, there was also a client who had lived in Europe for many years at the reception waiting to see a lawyer on an estate brief we were handling for him.
Mostly, such inquiries and requests to see a lawyer may extend into several hours of meetings with the lawyer attending to such a client, reviewing documents, and giving an oral legal opinion to the client.
To this prospect, ‘’seeing a lawyer, pouring out his mind to the lawyer, the lawyer listening to him, and letting him understand the legal issues on all he would have said should be free. That he would only pay the lawyer when he takes up the brief in question’’ These were close to his words.
From our experience, most of these prospects, after all this for free, would get up, shake hands with the lawyer, and promise to come back. We never get to see them again. The worst was the phone call, both individually and through the office lines.
Whenever we call to follow up with these prospects, we discover that most of them have engaged another lawyer taking a lower fee or whom they claim is their relative; most already had a lawyer, and they were only ‘’window shopping’’ for legal opinions or to validate what someone or a lawyer had told them. Only a few genuine people were able to afford the fees for our services at that moment.
I am sure some of my audience can relate to this; they were probably these prospects at one point in time.
So to address this malice, we stopped lawyers from making long phone calls during officer hours or giving legal opinions to professionals. When giving to clients, it must be on the subject matter such clients have engaged us for. Any prospect was to be directed to our office, and before taking such a prospect to see a lawyer, he or she must pick up a sign-in form for a fee. The form also stated hourly rates for meeting any lawyer and that whatever discussions were had with the lawyer were legal consultations and legal opinions that the client would pay after the meeting.
Upon picking up the sign-in form, some prospects would reconsider their inquiry and never come back. Some would come back well-prepared financially. Lawyers were saved from giving free legal opinions.
While we were having the discussion with the prospect, our client, who was seated all the while, interfered. He confirmed that this was the practice with professionals like lawyers and accountants in the country where he stays in Europe.
He alluded to our local estate agents. He asked the prospects, ‘’Have you used the services of an estate agent in Nigeria before?’’ The prospect replied in the affirmative. Would you ask one to show you properties without a sign-up fee? Our prospect responded, ‘’No’’. ‘‘Why would you expect a free legal meeting and opinion with a lawyer?’’
The prospect got the messages and demanded a discount on the fee. We agreed.
After the meeting, the lawyer who met with him briefed me. He relayed that the prospect beaming said, in like words, ‘‘Now I know what to do. Thank you, lawyer’’.
I replied, ‘’You should have taunted him that knowing what to do was what he wanted to get for free’’
Knowing what to do is not free.
This article also appears in Opinion Nigeria on February 1, 2024
