Attorneys make their money by giving advice and answering questions.

Yes they do more than that, but on a very basic level, that’s what they do. So it seems counterintuitive for an attorney to give away advice for free. Let’s take a web site for example. Many law firm web sites will have articles written by attorneys. The articles are meant to demonstrate expertise and competence on a particular legal issue. But, the articles are not meant to be comprehensive and exhaustive. If they were, people could just read the articles themselves without needing to hire an attorney (yes, I realize there are MANY exceptions here). So it seems as if there is a line between offering enough information to show mastery of the topic and giving away too much.

I think that the best approach is to give away the simple in order to charge for the complex.

Let me explain.

Simple:

Sometimes people are looking for a quick answer for a legal problem. A tenant that wants to know if it’s okay to stop paying rent until the landlord fixes the hot water heater. Someone that wants to fight an unjust parking ticket.

In these cases, people just want to know their options. They’re not really ready to hire an attorney, as they’re in the very early stages of their legal issues.

I think people looking for the simple answer are too often ignored. But why would a firm spend time trying to give away advice to people not looking to hire an attorney? Isn’t that just a waste? I don’t think so. Here are a few benefits of giving away the answers to simple questions:

1. Trust- The entire nature of the attorney/client relationship is built on trust. Offering answers to fundamental, frequently asked questions is a way to establish trust with people needing answers.

2. Visibility- If a firm is able to compile lists of frequently asked questions about particular legal issues, people will find them. Pages that list valuable, useful information move to the top of the search engine rankings for all the right reasons.

3. Understanding- Giving away answers shows that your firm understands the issue as well as other related factors that may often be overlooked.

4. Educating- Educating your potential clients is always a positive. I can’t think of a situation where an attorney would be disappointed that a client has a clear understanding of the issue.

And my favorite reason:

Simple to Complex:

Problems that start small have a way of becoming complicated. I would guess that the vast majority of people that hire an attorney have done some research on their situation first. And if you are able to find good, accurate information on a law firm’s site, who are you going to call when you decide you need representation? It’s easy to trust a firm that has already demonstrated expertise.

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