Why this matters
Hiring the first lawyer who returns your call is a default, not a decision. Some firms offer free or reduced-rate consultations, while the differences between lawyers, including fees, responsiveness, and real experience with businesses like yours, are large and only visible side by side. Confirm the fee in advance.
What "done" looks like
- Two or three consults completed from your shortlist
- The same question set asked in each, with notes
- A fee estimate or structure from each candidate
- A clear first choice and a backup
How to do it
- Book consults with your shortlist from the previous step. Ask upfront what the first meeting costs, since some firms offer free or reduced-rate consultations.
- Bring the legal-needs list you wrote in step one so the conversation is about quoting your actual work.
- Ask about relevant experience: "How many businesses like mine, size, industry, stage, have you worked with in the last two years?"
- Ask operational questions: who does the day-to-day work, typical response time, how calls and emails are billed, what happens outside their specialty.
- Ask for a cost estimate on your top-priority item and how they'd structure it; afterward, rank candidates on fit, clarity, and cost, not charisma.
Common mistakes
- Treating the consult as free advice time instead of an evaluation
- Not asking who actually does the work day to day
- Choosing on hourly rate alone rather than estimated total and responsiveness
Real-world examples
- Some small-business lawyers offer free or reduced-rate initial consultations, and many state bar referral services arrange reduced-rate first meetings. Confirm the fee in advance.
- A widely documented pattern: quoted totals for identical routine matters vary substantially between firms; comparison is what surfaces the spread.
From a founder's point of view
You're not qualified to judge legal skill, and you don't have to be. An interview reveals whether they explain plainly, quote without dodging, and respect your budget, signals that predict the relationship better than any credential.
Rule of thumb
One lawyer is a quote; two or three is a comparison. Don't sign an engagement letter until you have the comparison.
