Is it normal to pay Lawyers for the very first conversation?

by a searcher from Princeton University

2 years ago

Fellow Searchers, I am interviewing lawyers for help with the purchase agreement and one of them asked me to pay their hourly rate just to speak with me to figure out if we could work together.

Is this common? Would you still speak to the lawyer and think of the payment as a call option and as a way for him to weed out people looking for free advice or would you walk away?

Thank you.

2 likes
496 views
88 comments

professional from University of Houston

Definitely not the norm. Any attorney should be willing to hop on a quick intro call to see if what you need fits within their specific knowledge and practice area before entering into a formal engagement/charging fees. RED FLAG!

6 months ago | like reply | 0 likes

searcher from Western University

From my experience, a lawyer that wants you to pay for the intro discussion is going to nickel and dime you the entire way through the deal. We've been fortunate to work with some of the best in the business (shoutout, Mario Nigro @ Stikes) on all of our deals; Mario's world-class, and has been a fantastic relationship-first partner. Find a great group that is willing to invest in the relationship (especially for the intro meeting), and hopefully you end up with a true partnership out of it.

8 months ago | like reply | 0 likes

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