I occasionally give free seminars IRL (only); I did today. The idea is simple, I explain the law to a group of people I think might be interested. They come to it if they wanna.... At some point, lights click on for some and they realize they might need the complicated voodoo that I do. They come to me with questions and receive business cards after. Its a simple marketing tool that skirts the solicitation rules and it really truly is free to them. Kind of like the parts in spoilers but without the snark:
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=85981.msg2697504#msg2697504Today, afterwords, a man came up to me and asked many detailed questions, which were quite impossible to answer on the fly. First, I have to actually see the paperwork and evidence; it is irresponsible to give legal advice on hearsay. Second, he's asking for legal advice, which is what I charge for as a living, for free.... Third, he's asking me to tell him how he can do what a lawyer does, on the fly, because... apparently I can condense law school and years of legal experience into 5 minutes at most...? Politely, he gets a business card and an offer for an initial free 1/2 hour consultation....
Guy gets fucking pissed, flips out, and says words that are unprintable.... Suffice it to say he employed a vast vulgar vocabulary to call me a crook. I manage to maintain composure, but come on, really? You're eating a doughnut I paid for at seminar I paid to give you, both at no cost to you, and ... I'm... a crook? This is an expense to me and I'm losing money on it.... Why am I a crook again? Because I won't work for free and solve all your problems for nothing? Holy shit, do you go to the doctor and demand he treat you for nothing while cursing at him? Most lawyers would charge this guy for the pleasure of hearing what I just gave him for free.... Because everyone loves not only working for free, but being treated like shit while doing so....
It is not my fault you got arrested anymore than it is the doctor's fault you got sick.... It'd be like a doctor giving a free community health seminar and offering free 1/2 hour checkups.... Yeah, if there's something wrong with you after that, he's not gonna treat you for free, but the checkup and the seminar still cost you nothing....