Legal Advice, Should it be Given Away For Free?

Basically the answer to the question, legal advice, should it be given away for free? is “no”. But why not? It would seem that using advice from someone who is knowledgeable about the law, such as an attorney or paralegal, would be a good idea, particularly when it is free advice. There are, however, several reasons this is not an advisable practice. Unless the advice is given on a pro bono basis both you and the person giving free legal advice may have problems.

 An attorney must acquire a rigorous and costly education over several years, pass the bar, and then set up a practice or take a position in a law firm, usually starting at the bottom. He or she must be able to make a reasonable living and giving free advice can cut into monies necessary to establish and maintain a legal career. Furthermore, if in giving out free information or filling out legal documents for free and something goes wrong there is no money to take care of a malpractice suit should one be filed.

 For a person receiving free legal advice, should there be a problem with the advice received it is difficult to recoup any losses. There is little chance filing a malpractice suit would be helpful and reporting it to the Bar Association of their state would be of little use as an attorney is not required to give free advice, and in fact is discouraged from doing so.

Legal information can include articles and blogs posted by many attorneys on the Internet covering just about any legal topic one could want. As the information is not specific to any one individual’s situation a person can “take what they want and leave the rest”. Other ways of obtaining free legal information are through a local courthouse. They will have printed documents and informational pamphlets pertaining to many legal issues including such topics as child support, divorce (dissolution of marriage), small claims, post judgment modifications, and the drawing up of pre and post marital agreements. This information will give procedures to follow and steps to be taken by anyone needing a specific legal service. As each state has their own set of legal guidelines for each type of legal concern, going online and reading the state in question’s statutes is another way to obtain helpful and free legal information. 

Obtaining information about a legal question is usually useful. But, if a person needs specifics for their individual situation and requires specific legal advice, an attorney in the area of practice needed, such as Family Law, Retirement Law, or Business Law is a person’s best idea. If you live in Florida in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, or Hillsborough county or in Washington DC and have a personal concern involving Family Law, Grant Gisondo is there to work with you. You can call his office in Palm Beach Gardens at (561) 530-4568 for an appointment to talk with him personally during a free, initial, in-office consultation.