I provide initial consultations for free because I don’t want either one of us to feel “locked in” to this relationship before we’ve even met. I think you deserve the chance to meet me, and hear me talk about what I can do for you, before I ask you to commit to hiring me; and I want the chance to meet you, and hear about your particular circumstances, before I agree to take your case!

Even though it's free, the initial consultation may be the most valuable service I can provide for you. I’m going to explain the system to you, and ask you to explain your situation to me. I’m going to listen to your story and explain how your particular circumstances fit into the legal system, and what they system can do for you.

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Of course I hope we will discover, during that free consultation, that your problem is one of the kinds I can help solve, and that we like each other, and so you’ll hire me; but it’s also because I want you to know that I’m not going to nickel and dime you to death, charging you for every second I see your face or hear your voice on the phone. Yes, of course I charge for my time; I have to make a living, too; but I don’t have to charge every potential customer for every second! I became a lawyer because I wanted to help people [link to About JB] and I’ve found I can do that best by including free consultations. Many times, after hearing the client’s story, I realize they don’t need to file bankruptcy at all; there’s another, less extreme way to address their problems. That’s happy news, and I’m delighted to deliver it – after all, lawyers are often the bearer of bad news; it’s nice to be able to deliver good news every once in a while!

Most importantly, a free consultation gives us both the chance to meet one another and see if we want to work together. Not everybody likes everybody else, after all. I reckon it’s truly important that we like one another, because if we like one another, our communication will probably be pretty good. If, on the other hand, we don’t like one another, it will be much more difficult to establish trust and solid communication – and those things are essential for me to be able to do the best possible job for you. [Link to “BECAUSE YOU LIKE ME”.]