Anonymous wrote:I might ask a question that i knew they could answer easily off the top of their head. I wouldn't ask for anything more complicated. And I am happy to provide similar answers, but I (like most lawyers) don't like giving advice without being sure I have all the facts, so my answers tend to be cautious.

This -- free legal advice in law comes with lots of traps and strings attached if you can't prove that you gave all the necessary caveats. Reading a few nightmare ethics decisions will get you out of the free advice business quickly. No good deed goes unpunished, and all that. There is no Good Samaritan protection for legal advice.

free advice for non-lawyers - sure, if I know anything about it, which is unlikely. I have rarely sought/received free consult for other lawyers, but occasionally. and I have never asked for independent research on complicated issues - just their ideas off the top of their head.

- I called a law professor friend to talk through a truly wonky jurisdictional issue. she ended up writing a law review article about it and I got some solid leads on how to approach it!
- leads. I have sought and given advice along the lines of "what is a good general treatise/source on international service of process" or whatever topic comes up that I don't have a handy resource on.
- a couple of times, young lawyer friends have called to ask me really basic questions about how to read the rules or what to do in routine litigation situations. I answered, but I also urged them to ask inside their firms/organizations. Not because I'm not willing, but because it is (or should be) okay to ask questions.
- I have given advice (and sought advice) that is less legal advice than career advice. ie, this weird data privacy law issue came up in one of my cases and I thought it was really interesting. I know you have worked on those issues for company X; what is a good way for me to learn more about it, maybe pursue an inhouse position?
- I know some litigators who just like to talk shop and compare notes and war stories. Not really my thing but it's not unusual.

I don't mind this at all (I am in a niche field). I also reach out to people on occasion when I'm dealing with something I don't know well, like corporate restructuring. Usually I have a plan already and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything since I don't do that kind of work often.

To me it is part of being a good citizen of the profession. Alan Dershowitz told my class that the #1 way people get in trouble (mal)practicing law is going at it alone. It's important not to practice law in a bubble.

My DH does this with friends if they have a history of talking shop. Obviously, these are not friends who are billing 2500 hours in esoteric stuff.

My parents are constantly asking my DH questions about stuff like elder law, and a few of his high school friends come to him with criminal law questions frequently. He doesn't practice either of those in the slightest, and it gets old!

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and we regularly ask each other questions. It's always understood that it's a favor that shouldn't be abused.

Yep, this.

I'm an attorney in criminal practice. I get hit up for free advice all the time. It comes with the job. I'd have no problem giving a friend quick advice on their traffic ticket or whatever.

Of course. "Hey Larla, can I pick your brain about FOIA? Hey Larlo, answer me a question about FCC regulations." Of course, if I were on the phone to these people every day it would be totally annoying and inappropriate.

Sometimes - not legal advice but more pick their brain / chatting about a topic if that makes sense

I might ask a question that i knew they could answer easily off the top of their head. I wouldn't ask for anything more complicated. And I am happy to provide similar answers, but I (like most lawyers) don't like giving advice without being sure I have all the facts, so my answers tend to be cautious.

Ha. I like the age of consent poster.

I'm an In house nonprofit lawyer with an easy gig and would always be happy giving someone quick/cheap info or advice. But I remember what it was like to be at a law firm, and I don't want to irritate my friends who are billing 2800 hours at $800/hr.

The question i would like to ask would likely take 5-10 mins, no or minimal research for this person.

--OP

Yes, and we regularly ask each other questions. It's always understood that it's a favor that shouldn't be abused.

Yes. And they ask me questions.

I send them an invoice:

"Advised Joe re: age of consent laws" .2 ($200)

It would depend on what it was for. Just curious about the industry, happy to chat. Filing a brief? No, you should probably do your own research.

Do you ever ask them for quick-hit info or advice? And what would you think if one of them asked you a question, assuming it were quick and would require just 10 minutes of your time to answer.