"Fast-food" legal services

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 1996

The typical franchise law firm provides the legal professions equivalent of a fast-food meal - heap, quick, standardized fare without the frills - according to Jerry Van Hoy, assistant professor of sociology, Purdue University. "If you desire a simple will, name change, or uncontested divorce, then a franchise firm is probably sufficient for your need. If your main consideration is price over quality, these firms can handle straightforward problems fairly well."

Franchise law firms consist of a network of law offices - most located in storefronts at strip or shopping malls - that often build their clientele through aggressive television advertising. Offices usually are run by a managing attorney who hires staff lawyers and secretaries. The secretaries are relied on heavily, and the work is completed in a typical franchise style - standardized and limited. Van Hoy calls these offices the most innovative providers of legal services to develop in the last 20 years. However, let the buyer beware, he cautions.

These law firms are designed to handle the most basic legal services vices that involve the least amount of work. On one hand, clients whose problems can be solved by franchise law firms find fast, helpful at competitive fees. On the other, cases that can't be handled easily are usually turned down in the name of efficiency and profits."

Van Hoy interviewed 85 employees and observed day-to-day operations at two of the nations largest franchise law firms. He says the salary bonuses offered at franchise firms clearly reward attorneys for their sales skills. "During many of the consultations I observed, clients appeared to be surprised by the forcefulness of the sales pitch. Attorneys assure clients that they can solve their problems. Yet, the initial interviews hardly seem long enough to convince clients of this. The longest part of many consultations is the lawyer's sales pitch." That's because the whole transaction takes place within minutes. As one lawyer told me, our consultation fee of $35 doesn't even buy 15 minutes.' Clients who expect an informative chat will not get one without the possibility of purchasing services."

The amount of time spent with clients is limited by sticking to a standard set of questions during initial interviews. "These lawyers don't want to listen to a person's life story, and they don't want the client to get too emotional." Secretaries take down the case specifics, and the firms provide standardized worksheets to the lawyers. The attorneys then explain what the law requires, what services the firm can provide, and at what cost.

Van Hoy points out that staff attorneys at franchise firms appear to have little experience. "many are young and have recently passed the bar exam. With virtually no formal training by the firm, they are given responsibility for case files the second they walk in the door."