- This topic has 53 replies, 52 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
VI went to a lawyer for advice on a simple property dispute. The guy spoke for 15 minutes and demanded ₹5,000! Are lawyers charging by the word now? Because I swear I could have Googled half the stuff he told me.
How do people afford lawyers when even a basic consultation costs as much as rent? Why are legal fees so insanely high in India? If justice is a right, why does it feel like only the rich can afford it?
And don’t give me the “we studied for years” excuse doctors study for longer and still don’t charge this much for just a conversation.Do lawyers even have a minimum price limit or do they just make it up based on how desperate you look?
-
-
IThere are multiple factors, like:
1. Opportunity cost – I have no way of knowing that you will hire me. You could just be there to get “some info” or get demoralised by the suggested timeline and expenses of filing a case; it happens.
But while I am talking to you, potentially, I lose another client because he saw me occupied with you.2. Entirety of the law is available in the public domain; you can Google them up, yes.
But it does not mean that they are any less useful and will not be shared in a consultation.3. Text and practised laws are two different things. Anyone who is not a legal professional would not understand.
So It is not about how much I talked, it is about how much experience and knowledge I bring to the table.
-
-
-
-
-
-
SA Lawyer here
Whenever a client comes for consultation they are well aware they will be charged some amount for consultation.
Now there is a standard consultation charge based on your to hour basis. So take advise for a minute or 60 minutes the charges are same
And whatever is on Google is a superficial advise or material. The applicability is way different then what is available on social media.
But indian public has this timid mentality and wants everything in lesser money and the OP is prime example of this.
Now what the lawyer charged and whether he informed prior is different but it’s time the public understands that even for a small advise we have to be cautious or else you the same people like OP tarnish our image in the society.
And no not all lawyers easily make truck loads of money the struggle is real and unknown
-
-
VA key maker can charge 500-1000 for a 5 min work which is 1.5/3k for 15 mins of labour.
But a qualified legal professional should not charge 5k for a consultation.
Seriously?
Also, dont look at cost in isolation. Look at it in terms of the property value.
If you still thinks it’s not worth it. Go to junior lawyers or freshers or reach out to Chat gpt.
-
-
VSometimes you to a doctor.
They say the same generic advise that you may or may not know.
Just because it dint add any incremental value doesn’t mean the doctor won’t charge you.
OP could have googled something. But he dint want to rely on googles knowledge. Hence, he approached the lawyer.
Now if it was something basic then should the lawyer not charge the client?
-
-
-
-
-
Blol, what a dumb post. 5k for consultation is not even that high. there are lawyers who charge upto 50L for consultation. and as low as 500, do your research before approaching a lawyer.
P.S these are the people who get stingy in getting a decent lawyer and get asfcked later on, seen too many cases like this.
-
SSomeone should have told me I’ll have to answer this question before I spent five years studying law and ten years getting real life experience in practice that all I need to do is ‘just talk’.
I have some friends that are great at just talking that’ll do it for a beer. They have even given modiji his diplomacy ideas, allegedly. You want their number? They will talk for free (or for a beer). -
-
SYou are paying for expertise. Forget 5000 rupees, people have been happy to pay even 30 lacs for an hour of a senior lawyers’ time – it’s about value addition and not a matter of how much effort it cost the lawyer.
Also consider that good legal advice at the right place at the right time can easily save someone crores of rupees. That’s why people engage good lawyers.
-
RWhy should a lawyer give you anything for free? They have studied for their profession hence they will charge. A doctor also charges. It depends on the skills l, knowledge and depth. People also charge for time. Half the things he said would have taken you hours to google and to understand. He did it in 15 mins.
-
-
URecently went yo a HC, VERY well referred lady lawyer.
For a Legal Opinion
She asked for ₹10,000/-Hmmm, OK, since she came through reference, obv there is an expectation. Of experience, maturity, balanced opinion etc
Long story short, after many delays on her part, SHE DID NOT ADD EVEN ONE IOTA of value or knowledge or ibf8to the matter.
Guess who did it pay her
-
-
-
-
-
Ddepends on what lawyer you got to, i have rarely charged anyone for consultation, so if you went to a senior lawyer then sure you paid that much.
and also it doesn matter whether he gave you advice that you could have googled , what matters is whether he gave you the right advice or not, thats what you went for.
and if you went there without asking or discussing the charges, that’s also on you.
-
-
-
MCame here to say the ship story said by another user only.
What the lawyer told you comes from his years of practice and experience.
And that’s why we consult the lawyers in the first place.
The better and more experienced person you approach in any field, the more you have to pay.
And doctors charge less because the number of patients is more and the doctors won’t have to go into details of all of your problems in the first instance. He just hears 4 to 5 symptoms and tells you the probable cause of your illness while in consultation and he probably would have already seen multiple patients with the same symptoms and have given the same advice to all.
A lawyer has to go into the case in more detail and apply his mind more deeply to your unique set of problems.
If you want free advice, you can visit free legal aid clinics too.
But why does one go to a private hospital and not a government hospital, we all know 🤫
-
UJudiciary is not at all answerable to anyone. If a doctor charges rs500 as Opd fees, people and media make lot of hue and cry. If corporate hospitals charge ‘excessive amounts of bills’, media and even judiciary talk of capping charges(yes its needed), but a good high court lawyer charges much above 5-6 lakh rupees. And do not even talk of supreme court lawyers. They charge in lakhs per hearing. There is no capping on them. Because media dares not question lawyers. And judges do not take any ‘suo-moto’ notice of this issue.
-
-
-
SAnyone can talk, that is free. Finding the right person to talk to who can make a difference to your case, that is what the lawyer is charging for.
Even I thought the lawyer was just charging money for paperwork being generated from what looked like a ready made template. But then I read even a rental agreement and realised there they are being more thorough than thx lay man would be. -
UEach case is unique, with varying levels of complexity. Some involve straightforward facts, while others are more intricate. Some cases may have prima facie evidence, while others do not. People often expect an experienced lawyer to provide a solution to their problems. However, the law is the law. If a case doesn’t align with legal parameters, even the most experienced lawyer may not be able to offer a satisfactory resolution. And if you have gone to any junior lawyer, she/he might have given advice for free.
-
UBeing a lawyer, all I can tell you is, we get fed up of BS “Clients” coming in taking professional advice from hard earned experiences and then when it’s time to get to work, repeat the same thing to a more rookie lawyer hoping to cheapen our the deal. Hence to filter our such people and only consult with clients who are serious such fees are levied. No one values anything that’s for free. Whatever contributions I provide on reddit are free and I do it out of my own volition cause I may get to learn something or teach something.
-
-
CIt’s like saying “I have cold. The doctor told me to have paracetamol and asked for fees. I could’ve googled this.Why did I pay??? ”
Although the fee might have been higher than usual, a learned legal opinion is essential. If you feel it was awaste of money, my suggestion to you in the future is to ask ahead and not get surprised when someone asks for money for a service they render.
-
-
-
DOpportunity costs. You are paying them for their time. That hour you paid for they spent saying things you could have googled on your own, they could have spent servicing someone’s court case which only they in that city can do.
It’s like… renting a Ferrari for a day to drive from your house to the grocery store. If you didn’t take the car someone else would have, and probably for his wedding.
-
ULawyer here, different lawyers work differently. It’s not unheard of for lawyers to charge a consultation fee, in fact, it’s a common practice because a lot of times someone will just approach you for a conversation and then disappear and not actually engage you for their work for various reasons. Personally, I don’t charge for a consultation if I’m just having a conversation or sharing general advise on a situation. If I’m actively involved in framing a strategy and preparing documents then I quote my fee beforehand and ensure the client is comfortable before proceeding. It’s always advisable to ask the practitioner for their fee beforehand instead of being blindsided after the meeting. Consultation fee also has nothing to do with the duration of the meeting. I remember in my early days of practice, my senior took me along to take a verbal opinion from a former Chief Justice of India who spoke to us for 10 mins and handed us a bill of INR 15 lakhs. It’s not fair to compare legal practitioners to doctors, the fee is for the expertise and time which is subjective and cannot be quantified easily. To answer your question, no there is no cap on fee that can be charged by a practitioner, it is fixed as per their discretion.
-
KI like your well-written response which concisely explains why OP was charged that amount.
>I remember in my early days of practice, my senior took me along to take a verbal opinion from a former Chief Justice of India who spoke to us for 10 mins and handed us a bill of INR 15 lakhsInteresting! Upon receiving the bill, were you just as flabbergasted as OP seems to be, or did you expect such a number?
-
-
MWho asked you to go to a lawyer if you have problem in paying you should have avoided and relied on google.
There is a difference between labours and professionals.
Labours are paid according to hours (Dihaadi majdoor) not professionals.
He simplified everything in 15 mins doesn’t mean that for just 15 mins he charged so much.
For that 15 mins advice he has spent years and years of learning and hardwork to gain such experience.
If you compare with the doctors [insaan jab fasta hai to paisa dene ka nahi dekhta] [koi emergency me dr. ke paas jaake pehle uski fees nahi puchega]
Same applies here you had an option to get free legal aid but you choosed differently that’s your choice.
Why to blame if you don’t have capacity to pay for his consultation
Do your research before blaming Indian legal system and saying justice is a right you should get it for free (yes you can – Art 39A free legal aid) -
CCome to Mumbai/Delhi, I ll take you to lawyers who charge 5 /10 lakhs for a meeting. It can last last from 5 mins to an hour. There are people who pay that kind of money to get advice from such expensive lawyers. I can also give the same advice, but I neither have that big a name nor do I have that kind of experience, so I (my firm) only charge 15/20k for a meeting (15 mins to 1 hrs).
Better use Chatgpt next time.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
VBecause we spent 5 years in college and paid lakhs to learn and earn that knowledge and then after years of hard work, struggle and experience, we are able to give you a solution to help you out of your problems.
So it’s for the knowledge and experience and google can give you legal knowledge or relevant sections but google will not be able to tell you the procedure by which the particular legal issue can be resolved.
There are thousands of lawyers in the legal field but some do their law from ordinary CCS university or normal state universities having less command over the language and the law, whereas some do their law from NLU’s and other premium institutes.
It’s just like doing engg from bbd lucknow and IIT.
Also we provide quality work. Ab bhai sasta vakeel karo aur saalo jhelo ya accha vakeel karo aur jaldi niptara pao. Jo log lawyers ke pareshan kiye hue hai wo saste vakeel ke chakkar me apna case kharab karwa lete hai. For example in shampoo: comparison between clinic plus and oribe gold lust would be apt to make you understand.
No offence intended.. -
-
-
-
