Legal Question in Business Law in Pennsylvania

why does Lawguru claim to be free? No Lawyers answer any questions unless you pay.

I have asked 3 questions and gotten no answers at all over the last 4 months, FYI most all lawyers offer free consultations, Why do you charge for a free service?


Asked on 11/12/13, 7:30 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

I do not speak for Law Guru and you should direct your inquiries to Law Guru personnel instead of asking the lawyers who participate.

From the perspective of an attorney who answers questions, I will tell you that answers to questions are free. However, you will not get a comprehensive free answer to your situation in most instances. Attorneys need to review what is going on - whether it be documentation of some kind or to talk to a client and get all the facts which are frequently missing from most posts. When I answer a question, I try to provide guidance based on the limited information available but most responses end with a "go seek legal counsel." Lawyers are in business to make money and consults, depending on the problem can take several hours. A lawyer deserves to be paid for that.

If a questioner wishes to pay for a more in-depth private answer, that option is available as well. But the fee is small - $25 to $30 in most cases. What kind of real advice do you think you are going to get for $30???

And the lawyers who offer free consults are typically contigency fee/personal injury attorneys (who end up taking about a 1/3 of any settlements if they take your case) or bankruptcy attorneys. Any non-contingency fee cases are not given free consults.

The reason you have not gotten any answers probably is that this service does not force attorneys to participate. There do not seem to be very many PA attorneys in certain areas of law - for example, I generally stick to areas involving debts or probate/estates/trusts because that is the areas in which I practice. Occasionally I will answer a family law or other issue if I happen to know the answer. However, my time is limited. Lawyers have to make money and cannot devote all day to answering free questions. I don't answer questions on immigration or employment law or other issues because I either may not know the answer or do not enjoy that area.

If you have questions within my area of expertise, email me the questions at [email protected]. Email consults/answers are free with me. If you have questions in an area in which I don't practice (immigration and employment issues are definitely out) I can try to give you an idea of what you should do but it will not be a substitute for a paid consult with a local attorney.

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Answered on 11/23/13, 1:44 pm


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