My first meeting with a lawyer, a question

[skunker]

What is the name of your state? Texas

Hey guys, I recently found a local lawyer online and I sent him an email asking if he'd be interested in taking a look at a contract I got from a buyer of an item I was selling. The lawyer emailed me back and said he would be interested in taking a look, but he wanted to first meet with me and get some additional details about the sale. He asked if I could meet with him at his office and we agreed on the meeting. Again, he just wanted to get some information from me before he started looking at the contracts.

A day after the meeting, I get a bill from him for $100.

I thought it was common for the first meeting to be a free consultation? He never told me anything about there being a fee up front or whatever.

The fee is fine, but just wanted to see whether this was common or not. Thanks.

[las365]

The Texas Rules of Professional Responsibility do not specifically address consultation fees, but in general addresses fees for "new" clients thusly:

When the lawyer has not regularly represented the client, the basis or rate of the fee shall be communicated to the client, preferably in writing, before or within a reasonable time after commencing the representation.

So the attorney's actions are probably not unethical.

As a practical matter, I think that failing to tell a potential client in advance that you charge a consult fee and how much it is (a flat fee or an hourly one) is just a poor business practice and poor customer service. Failing to advise of and collect the consult fee at the time of the consultation is stupid.

You want to be confident of your ability to communicate well with your lawyer, and vice versa. This would not be something that would make me want to use that attorney again, if I were you.

[skunker]

Should I question the bill or just move on?

[las365]

If you think it's fair for the services that were provided, just pay it and move on. I would, if I were you, send another email to the attorney letting him know that while you are paying the consultation fee, you feel it would have been more appropriate for him to advise you of the fee in advance or while you were at his office and suggest that he do so in the future to avoid misunderstandings.