Fees at Initial Consultations

What should you expect to pay for an initial consultation?

Often, lawyers will offer a free initial consultation. Obviously that's easy on the budget, but it may not be a full consultation. On the other hand, some lawyers will charge for an initial consultation. Typically, the fee will be either at the lawyer's normal hourly rate, or some flat fee for the length of the consultation. You can expect those consultations to be uniformly longer and more detailed.

There are occasionally arrangements in the middle of these two norms. Often legal aid services will contract with private attorneys to provide free or low-cost initial consultations, which are shorter in duration. If the client wishes to go beyond the short time, they would then work something out with the attorney.