“Probably not.” This is my response to the persistent question I have been asked now a trillion times. “Can I get free legal advice from you now?”
First, I am not being rude. I simply just can’t give every person I know free “legal advice.” Building a book of business should be treated just as such, a business. While there are the occasional free consultations to get the ball rolling on a new business relationship I can’t just sit down with every acquaintance who asks. Plus, any firm I work for will probably want my acquiantance as a client not just a free consultation.
Second, I just don’t know the answer. Apparently the outside world believes law students leave law school knowing everything there is to know about every area of law. Sorry folks, that’s just not the case. We leave knowing how to read a case, synthesize information, and think critically. We do not know about every area that concerns the law. If we did, don’t you think we’d need a little more schooling?
Lastly, although I can give any person the low down on most issues of criminal prosecution in my own state, I won’t. As every law student knows the answer is “it depends” because each fact situation is different. So when an acquaintance comes calling for a recent arrest on an alleged crime I will point them to the directory of lawyers who will be willing to take their case…for a fee.
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