Why Free Divorce Consultations are Worthless

So, you’ve decided to go through with your divorce. That’s a big, difficult decision, and it takes a long time to work up to.

Now that you’ve made your decision, you’ve also decided you want to hire a Utah divorce attorney to help you.

This is smart. You have kids. You have a home. You have assets and debts that need to be taken care of.

In other words, there’s a lot riding on who you hire. You need someone who will stand by you in your divorce and make sure you get what’s fair.

You start your search by going to the internet and Googling “Utah divorce attorneys” or “best Utah divorce attorneys.”

You click on a few divorce attorney websites (they all kind of look the same after an hour) and read some of the pages.

Then, you look at divorce attorney reviews on Google to see who has the most 5-star reviews. You read good reviews, but you especially read the bad reviews.

Eventually, you pick a few attorneys you feel comfortable with and decide to call their offices.

Some pick up. Some don’t pick up. You probably don’t leave a voicemail when they don’t pick up because it’s weird.

When you’ve talked with a few, you realize almost all Utah divorce attorneys offer divorce consultations.

Why Do Divorce Attorneys Offer Divorce Consultations?

So, why do divorce attorneys offer divorce consultations?

It’s to get you in the door.

Divorce attorneys figure if they can get you in their office, they can sell you on their services.

And they figure you’ll feel obligated to hire them since they gave you something for free.

All of that’s perfectly fine, except, what you’re getting for “free” is actually not much at all.

What Do You Actually Get from a “Free” Divorce Consultation?

Here’s how almost all “free” divorce consultations go.

First, you sit down and the attorney lets you talk. He may answer a few of your questions, but his answers are always vague because he doesn’t want to give divorce advice. Makes sense because you’re not a paying customer.

This part usually lasts about 20–25 minutes.

Second, the attorney says what he’ll do for you (again, only vaguely) and tells you how to pay him — but he won’t tell you exactly how much since he bills by the hour.

This part usually lasts about 10–15 minutes.

Third, it’s over. That’s it.

As you can see, you don’t actually get anything out of these consultations. You have only a sort of better idea about your divorce after your divorce consultation than you did before your divorce consultation.

In the end, divorce consultations are a marketing tool, and they don’t teach you about or help you with your divorce. In other words: divorce consultations are worthless.

What Is the Antidote to “Free” Divorce Consultations?

So, what is the antidote to worthless free divorce consultations?

A consultation where you pay to meet with the attorney.

Since you’re paying for the consultation, the attorney will answer your questions and give you real advice. No more vague lawyer statements crafted (1) to ensure you only understand part of what’s being said, and (2) to entice you to pay so the attorney can explain the part you didn’t understand.

Attorneys who do paid consultations give you a roadmap for your case, and they explain in detail how they will help you obtain your ideal results.

You will come out of the consult educated and with a much better idea what to do and how your divorce will go.

In other words, you won’t waste your time and you’ll get your money’s worth.

Call Brown Family Law

If you find yourself facing a Utah divorce, please call 801.685.9999 for an in-person consultation, or use our online scheduling tool.