Download Article

Download Article

Sometimes you don't necessarily need to hire an attorney to represent you in court, you just have a question or two about a potential legal issue or how a law works. You also might want to consult an attorney because you're filing an administrative complaint or application for benefits or assistance. For limited purposes, you may have the opportunity to consult a lawyer online, which can be cheaper and more convenient than hiring an attorney or scheduling an in-person office meeting.

  1. 1

    Decide if you need a local attorney. The type of legal issue you're facing may be one that heavily depends on state or local law. Depending on the questions you plan to ask an attorney, you may need to speak with someone who practices in your city or state.[1]

    • General questions about personal injury or divorce law, for example, may be possible for an attorney practicing anywhere in the country to answer. However, more specific answers will depend on the law in your state.
    • If you have questions about wills or estate planning, you typically will need to find an attorney licensed in your state. Different states have their own rules for property, particularly marital property.
    • Most of the time you won't need an attorney licensed in your state to answer basic questions about contracts. The laws regarding breach of contract are essentially the same nationwide.
    • If you have a question about federal law, such as employment law or intellectual property law, any attorney in the country who specializes in that area of law can answer your question.

  2. 2

    Determine the scope of representation you need. Before you consult a lawyer online, assess your situation and figure out exactly how much assistance you need. Which online service will benefit you depends on the questions you have for an attorney and how much work you expect him or her to do for you.[2]

    • There are some websites that focus more on connecting local attorneys with potential clients. If you want an attorney to advise you throughout the course of a legal proceeding, if not represent you in court, you may want to use one of these online consultation services.
    • On other services, you simply post your question on a forum-like page, and anyone may answer. This may be beneficial if you'd prefer to have several different opinions on your situation at once, but keep in mind you may have to wait awhile before you get an answer.
    • Asking questions in a semi-public forum won't allow you to have a direct attorney-client relationship with any attorney who answers your question.
    • Because of the public manner of the communication and the lack of an attorney-client relationship, you follow the advice at your own risk. You'll have to speak to an attorney privately if you expect to have any ability to legally rely on the attorney's advice.

    Advertisement

  3. 3

    Search online directories. There are many online directories of licensed attorneys that can help you find names and contact information for people who might be able to assist you. If you've determined you need an attorney licensed in your state, the state bar association often is the best place to start your search.[3] [4]

    • For example, the American Bar Association has a lawyer referral service you can access from the organization's website. After answering a few questions, the service connects you to attorneys in your area who are available to help you.
    • Many other websites have searchable directories as well as offering online consultation services.

  4. 4

    Evaluate consultation services. Many websites offer legal consultation services, some of which are free of charge. However, you need to find out exactly what's offered by each service before you can decide if it will work for you.[5] [6] [7]

    • Think about what kinds of questions you need to ask and whether you want to ask them in a public forum.
    • There are several websites that offer consultations from attorneys free of charge, but you have to ask your question in a forum that is open to the public.
    • After you ask your question, you may get answers from several attorneys – but there's never any guarantee as to how long you'll have to wait before you get the answer, or whether the answer you get will be helpful.
    • If the public-forum approach won't work for you, or if you need an answer right away, you may be better off going with one of the services that allows you to chat online with an attorney directly in real-time.

    Advertisement

  1. 1

    Visit attorneys' websites. Most attorneys have websites through which you can learn about their background and experience. In some cases, online consultations are offered directly through the attorney's website.[8] [9]

    • Some attorneys' websites feature a pop-up window that will ask if you have any questions and encourage you to chat online. However, keep in mind that when you use these windows to ask questions, you probably are not speaking directly to the attorney who owns the website.
    • Other attorneys mention the possibility of online consultation in their bios or firm descriptions.
    • Even if direct consultation services aren't mentioned, most attorneys include their email addresses on their websites. If you find an attorney who you think might be able to answer your questions, you can copy his or her email address, send an email, and go from there.

  2. 2

    Investigate attorneys' background and experience. Particularly if you need a local attorney to offer specific advice rather than a quick general consultation, you should select the attorney using much of the same criteria you'd use to evaluate an attorney you wanted to hire to represent you completely.[10] [11]

    • Attorneys typically provide significant information about their background and experience on their websites, or on directory listings.
    • You also may want to search for reviews from clients so you can better understand each attorney's reputation and what it's like to work with him or her.

  3. 3

    Find out if the attorney does online consultations. If you've found an attorney you like but online consultations aren't mentioned on the attorney's website, you typically can send an email and ask whether online consultations are possible.[12] [13]

    • Maintain a professional tone in your email, and take care not to make it too long or rambling. Provide a brief description of your legal issue or situation, and explain that you would like to consult with the attorney online.
    • Attorneys often will want to encourage you to come to their offices, so if there is some reason that you prefer online communication or cannot travel to an attorney's office without difficulty, include that information.
    • Let the attorney know how you would prefer to conduct an online consultation. If you don't mind sending an email and waiting for a response, that's one option. However, if you want real-time discussion using text or video chat, mention it specifically.
    • You also want to make it clear what scope of representation or assistance you want. Not every attorney is willing to simply answer questions without representing someone in court – and some lawyers are reluctant to assist in drafting a legal document unless you hire them to prepare the document in its entirety.

  4. 4

    Schedule your online consultation. If the attorney is open to an online consultation, work with him or her to set an appointment for a real-time conversation using either text or video chat. This gives the attorney an opportunity to accurately assess your issue and give you advice that is complete and accurate.[14]

    • Keep in mind that attorneys are busy people and their time is valuable. If an attorney is willing to do an online consultation in real-time, ask him or her how long you can have – and don't go over that time limit.
    • If the attorney gives you a list of documents or information he or she needs, be sure to provide them as soon as possible in advance of your scheduled consultation.

  5. 5

    Gather information about your situation. To answer your question, the attorney likely will need to understand a little about the issue and the reason you need help. It might make things easier if you create a brief synopsis or timeline describing the issue at hand.[15] [16]

    • Even if the attorney hasn't asked you for specific information, think of what you would need to know to answer the question.
    • Write down as many facts and details as you can about your situation. Keep in mind that something you don't think is important might have crucial relevance to the law that governs your particular situation.
    • If your questions are related to specific documents you or someone else has prepared, such as a contract or a will, have the document ready to share with the attorney if he or she asks for it.

    Advertisement

  1. 1

    Search for online services. You can use your favorite search engine to find a number of websites that offer the opportunity to consult a lawyer online. When you begin your search, don't limit your results simply to free services, you may miss out on the best option for you by focusing solely on the cost of the service.[17] [18] [19] [20]

    • A general search such as "online lawyer consultation" will bring up numerous websites that provide the ability to ask questions directly to lawyers online.
    • Pull up several services so you can study the lawyers who do consultations there and find the service that will work best for you.
    • Legal services in many states offer free consultations online. However, they may need information about your income before you can ask your question to make sure you fall within their guidelines. These programs are designed to assist low-income clients with legal issues.

  2. 2

    Read about the service. Before you sign up, you need to have an understanding of what the service is all about, including the types of questions answered and the background and experience of the attorneys available.[21] [22] [23]

    • Each website will have information about the types of attorneys who provide online consultations on that site, the states in which they are licensed, their areas of expertise, and how much experience they have.
    • You also want to get a good idea of how much consultations may cost on each of the services you're reviewing.
    • Keep in mind that if a website allows you to ask attorneys questions for free, the website itself may be selling various products or services. Find out what the website is selling before you commit to asking a question.

  3. 3

    Compare several services. Rather than just finding a service and running with it, look at several online legal consultation services the same way you would compare several attorneys before you hired one to represent you.[24] [25] [26]

    • Compare the services offered to what you need and make sure the site can help you. For example, if you have a question about your will, you need to find a website that has attorneys who specialize in wills and estate planning.
    • If you need an attorney licensed to practice in your state, check the sites to make sure there are on-call attorneys near you.
    • While you should compare costs, you shouldn't make cost alone your deciding factor. If you ask a question at a website that has forms or guides available for sale, a free consultation may end up being little more than a sales pitch for a product related to your legal issue.
    • You also want to verify, to the extent possible, that your question will be answered by a licensed attorney rather than a paralegal, assistant, or law student.

  4. 4

    Set up an account. Once you've decided which service you want to use, you typically have to create a user account so you can log in and ask your question. Creating an account may provide other benefits such as the ability to ask follow-up questions or continue working with the same attorney.[27] [28]

    • You may have to provide debit or credit card information on some websites, particularly those that offer paid or subscription services – even if you intend to use free services only.
    • Setting up a user account may give you a level of privacy. You need to decide whether you're comfortable asking a question that may be posted in a public forum, or if you'd rather work privately with an attorney one-on-one.

  5. 5

    Gather information about your issue. Before you jump right in to asking your question, take a few minutes to write out a chronology of events or brief summary of the situation. This way you'll be prepared if the attorney with whom you consult asks you questions or needs additional information to appropriately assist you.[29] [30]

    • Generally, the attorney will want to know a bit about your legal issue. If you have documents you can show or share with the attorney online, this may be helpful.
    • Some services don't allow you to upload documents for attorneys to review, or charge a fee if you want to do this, so if you need an attorney to review a contract, will, or other document, make sure the website you're using allows for document uploads before you begin.
    • You may want to write up a paragraph summary describing your legal situation that you can copy to the attorney.
    • The question form on some websites only provides you the space of a few characters to ask your question. Keep in mind that in most cases this won't be enough room to give the attorney enough detail to answer your question accurately and effectively.

    Advertisement

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

References

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 9,012 times.

Did this article help you?