Legal Consultation
Effective consultation requires understanding your actual problem, not just the legal question you think you're asking. Someone asks about drafting a non-compete agreement. The real issue might be whether non-competes are enforceable in your industry, whether you need them at all, or whether other protections work better. Consultation means digging into context—your business model, relationships, risks, alternatives. Generic legal answers miss the point. Useful consultation addresses your specific situation and gives practical direction.
Document review consultation addresses immediate questions about agreements or notices you've received. Someone sends you a contract. You need to know: What are the actual risks? What terms matter most? What should be negotiated? Where are the traps? Document review means reading carefully, identifying problematic provisions, and explaining implications in clear terms. Some documents are reasonable as drafted. Others contain clauses that create significant exposure. Consultation separates minor concerns from major issues and tells you what response is appropriate.
Preventive consultation helps you structure decisions to avoid problems before they develop. You're planning something with legal implications—hiring employees, entering partnerships, buying assets, changing business structure. Consultation identifies potential issues and suggests protective measures. Prevention costs less than solving problems after they arise. A few hours of consultation might prevent disputes that consume months and lakhs. The value is in what doesn't happen—the problems you avoid by structuring things properly from the start.
One-time consultation addresses specific questions without creating ongoing relationships. You need answers to immediate questions. You may not need a lawyer beyond this conversation. One-time consultation requires efficiency—understanding the situation quickly, identifying core issues, providing actionable advice in limited time. Some situations genuinely need only consultation. Others need more extensive legal services but clients attempt to manage with consultation alone. Part of consultation is assessing whether the problem is actually manageable with advice or whether it requires representation.
Second opinion consultation provides alternative perspective on advice you've already received. You have existing counsel but want confirmation or different views on strategy, success probability, or recommended actions. Second opinion means providing honest assessment without unnecessarily undermining other counsel. Some situations genuinely benefit from second opinions. Others involve clients seeking advice they prefer rather than objective assessment. Consultation means providing honest evaluation even when it confirms advice the client dislikes.
Ongoing consultation relationships provide periodic access to legal advice as needs arise. You don't need constant legal attention but want regular access to counsel. Consultation might occur monthly, quarterly, or as-needed. This provides legal support without full retention costs. But ongoing consultation needs clear boundaries about scope, response time, availability, and fees. What does the relationship include—unlimited consultations or capped hours? Document review or only verbal advice? What happens if significant legal work becomes necessary? Clear structure prevents misunderstandings about what ongoing consultation actually covers.
