Firm offers phone link to solicitors... for just €29 a session

SOLICITORS aren’t usually quick to undersell themselves but one company has come up with a way to provide cut-price consultations over the phone.

Legal Line, set up by solicitor Rachel McDaid, is from today offering a 10-minute talk with a practitioner for €29 — a fraction of the normal face-to-face fee.

Her company acts as the go-between, providing an automated phone system that allows a caller to select from one of 10 legal specialities and then putting them directly through to the nearest solicitor available to talk to them.

Solicitors who sign up to the service will have to log on to declare their availability to take a call and log off when out of the office or in consultation with other clients. “Callers will be put through directly to the solicitor — it won’t be a receptionist or secretary picking up,” said Ms McDaid.

The Law Society is famously strict about the way practitioners can tout for business, putting a stop to “no foal, no fee” advertising in recent years, but Ms McDaid says she is breaking no regulations.

“We’re a not a law firm, we’re a commercial company that provides access to solicitors so different rules apply, but I have been in contact with the Law Society about it to make sure we comply with the rules.”

She is also careful to emphasise that the solicitors on the other end of the line will not actually be dispensing legal advice. “There’s a difference between advice and information. Really the place to give legal advice is in an office, face to face.

“What the solicitors will do is inform a caller what the law is in respect to their particular case and if they want to pursue a matter, they will make an appointment for them the normal way.”

Asked if callers would be told up front if they didn’t actually need the services of a solicitor — for example where an issue can be brought directly to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board or resolved through mediation or the Small Claims Court, Ms McDaid said callers would be so informed. “Solicitors are under the same moral obligation whether they speak to someone on the phone, in the street or face to face in an office.”

Ms McDaid, who says she has 200 solicitors ready to talk from today, says the service will appeal to the many people who balk at the expense and trouble involved in taking time off work or parenting duties to see a solicitor in person, especially for a preliminary consultation.

“Consultation fees vary around the country but I recall a time about seven years ago before I qualified as a solicitor when I was charged €290 for a half-hour consultation so if you can get what you need in 10 minutes for €29, you can see the appeal.”

Callers will have to supply a credit or debit card number before being put through to a solicitor and will be informed when their 10 minutes is up, giving them the option of paying for 10 more minutes.

The solicitors will get €1 for every minute of their time.