Brian Tannebaum posts about legal fees, and the factors that comprise what a lawyer is lawfully entitled to charge.  As he explains,

One of the things lawyers are doing, and doing in ways that bear the stink of desperation, to counteract this situation is to try to find new sources of business.  Enter the internet.  It’s impossible to turn around without someone telling you that you’ve got to be online, have a website, blog, if you want to survive.  Other, less ethical or discerning voices, urge lawyers to spam and lie their way to success.  One way or another, many lawyers are listening to these voices as the phone rings less and the calendar has more gaps.

Having a fairly strong internet presence, I’ve got some experience with this.  Calls come in from people who search for a lawyer online.  Many of the calls aren’t particularly relevant, being from distant jurisdictions about cases that I either don’t handle or would be better handled locally.  But a few involve the sort of cases that interest me.

The calls pretty much go like this:

Caller:  My husband/boyfriend/son/father got arrested and I need a lawyer.
Me:  Can you tell me about the case.
Caller:  It’s a criminal case.
Me:  Can you give me some more information?  What court is it in, what are the charges, that sort of thing?
Caller: I really don’t know much more.
Me.  I understand, but before I can set up a meeting, I need to know whether this is the sort of case I handle.
Caller: Well, I want to know what you charge.

There’s the real point of the call.  And in case you’re wondering, this is the point of almost every call I’ve ever gotten via the internet. 

My practice is based on word of mouth referrals.  The people who are referred to me already have some understanding of who I am, what I do, how I charge.  They come because they seek my representation.  This isn’t to say that they aren’t concerned about legal fees.  Who isn’t?  But they aren’t buying a toaster and shopping around for the cheapest one out there.

Essentially every person who calls me because they found me online, regardless of source, is calling for a price.  They may later ask some of the questions that websites suggest they should ask of a lawyer, such as “have you ever done a case like this before?”  But that only comes after the primary question: How much will it cost.

Historically, I never discussed fees on the phone, or during an initial call.  It made no sense whatsoever, as I could not provide a fee without the requisite case information even if I wanted to.  It wasn’t possible.  Unfortunately, the internet has changed this. 

Imagine receiving a dozen calls a week for people desiring your services, prepared to meet with you and asking for a consultation (note the word, consultation).  That’s an awful lot of time spent meeting and greeting.  Reading their papers, thinking about what can be done, waiting for them to show when they’re late.  Listening to their mother, brother, cousin, friend who is there for support ask an additional 50 or 60 irrelevant questions, then tell you about their legal problems as long as you’re stuck in the same room with them.

And at the end, when you are finally able to give them a meaningful legal fee, the blank stare that says, “I don’t have anywhere near that much money.”  It’s not a good way to spend you time.

For lawyers prepared to accept whatever pocket change the client happens to be carrying when they arrive, and isn’t too picky about the types of cases they take on, the internet is the perfect place to build your criminal defense practice.  If not, all the hype in the world isn’t going to make that potential client have the resources to pay your fee. 

You can hear it from Tannebaum.  You can hear it from me.  It’s up to you whether you want to believe us.  We aren’t saying not to have an online presence, but we’re saying that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.