As soon as someone hears I’m an attorney, I get a rush of legal questions. And I actually enjoy answering questions when I can. However, so many questions don’t have an easy solution or a quick answer.
Every legal question I’m asked creates a whole list of questions that I have to ask in return. There’s rarely an easy yes or no. In fact, one of the favorite responses of an attorney is “well, it depends.” And it’s the truth. So much depends on who, what, where, when, how. And for each response, I generally have yet another question!
My other favorite thing that goes hand-in-hand with this is “my neighbor said” or” I heard.” And that’s great. Your neighbor might be exactly right. But more likely, your neighbor’s situation is just slightly different. Which is enough that causes what your neighbor said to not apply to you. Or what your neighbors said failed to mention a really important detail that completely changes everything.
So, when you have a generic legal question, and you’re asking for advice, or you heard something, it’s not that simple. I’m not going to have an answer. It’s going to take a lot more. That’s the reason I do free consultations. That’s the reason I want to sit down with people and talk. Because each person’s situation is going to be slightly different. Each person is going to have a different concern. Each person is going have a different thing that’s important to them. And that’s what I went to law school for; to ask the questions to find those things out. It’s after I ask those questions and get the answers (which most people don’t know to ask and didn’t know were important) that I will have an answer.
So, do me a favor next time you have a legal question, or your neighbor told you something: just stop and ask an attorney. Set up a time to do a consultation and to give specific answers to the questions that your question just brought up.