Recently I received several inquiries regarding paid online consultation in legal matters.
Apparently, there are several companies, both in the U.S. and in Canada, that provide this kind of service.
Under the terms of the service, generally speaking, the client posts a legal question or a short scenario to an online database connected to licensed lawyers in the jurisdiction. The client then chooses the price (depending on timeliness and length of the answer) and pays with credit card. Internet enthusiasts have hailed this increasingly popular online service as “legal services in the web 2.0 era.”
Personally, I’m reluctant to accept requests for online consultation. While online consultations may seem to be easy money for the lawyer, they may pose hidden dangers to the clients.
First, the client may not get the “question” right. The client is not able to post all relevant materials online, for practical and security reasons, and clients without legal training may omit important details that concern jurisdiction and limitation issues.
Second, the online consultations provide mostly summary advice. Due to technical and budgetary limitations, the lawyers are unable to properly examine all relevant documents before providing legal advice. They thus can provide only a vague outline as to the prima facie rights and obligations of the parties or a heavily qualified short answer with a hefty disclaime.
