The Law Office of Sestino Barone, like many New York law firms, receives thousands of inquiries every year from individuals and businesses who want to speak with an attorney. Many of the people who contact us are surprised to learn that we charge a consultation fee for a 1/2 hour meeting with an attorney. Perhaps this surprise is the product of many lawyers who advertise a free consultation.
So why do we charge a consultation fee?
The answer is complicated, and many of the reasons are related. First, unlike many New York law firms that advertise free consultations, you’ll actually meet with an attorney during your initial visit. We’re not set up to process prospective clients like cattle. Instead, you’ll be able to explain your situation to an experienced attorney and receive an honest evaluation of your claims and defenses.
Because we give this time and attention to each consultation, we’ve got to charge for the time the attorney could be working on existing cases. It is not an exaggeration to say that if we did not charge for consultations our attorneys could literally spend eight hours of every work day meeting with prospective clients, and have no time to serve the needs of existing clients. Obviously, that’s a business model that doesn’t work.
But what if I just have one quick question?
We hear this question all the time, and in the past we even fell for it a few times. While it may be true on some rare occasions that an inquiry can be handled with a quick question and answer, that is a rare exception from the norm. Unfortunately, there’s no way we can make that determination until committing to speak with you.
In order for us to adequately evaluate and discuss your unique situation we’ve got take the time required to hear the pertinent facts and ask relevant questions. Only then can we provide a frank and honest opinion based on our years of experience. In virtually every situation, this take at least 20-30 minutes.
For all of these reasons, and probably a few more I’ve neglected to mention, we charge a consultation fee for a 1/2 hour consultation with an attorney. We do make every effort to keep this fee as affordable as possible, and we’ve been told by hundreds of satisfied customers that the expense was well worth it.
The fee for an initial 1/2-hour consultation is $100, with a $25 discount for pre-payment at least 24 hours before the scheduled consultation.
The Law Office of Sestino Barone reserves the right to change this policy at any time.
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