Attorney fee for initial consultation

[Chris Platt]

Hi All, I’m just starting out and, following the advice of a mentor, I’m trying to find an attorney who deals with real estate transactions and issues. I’ve reached out to a few attorneys and set up a few introduction calls, all of which have been “free initial consultations”. I don’t have any specific issue to deal with at this time, but I want to get to know the attorney and their experience and skill set. I can learn a lot more about a firm talking with someone on the phone than I can by going through a website. I reached out to one today and got a response that seemed like a canned response asking for my name, company info, etc, in order to set up the initial consultation. Fine, no problem. At the bottom of the email it says there’s a $250 upfront fee for the consultation. I’m not out to waste anyone’s time, and I realize that’s probably about right for an hour of an attorney’s time in my area, but I’m just looking for a bit more info on the attorney’s background to see if it’s a good fit. I’m not specifically looking for legal advice at this point in time, and when that time comes I’m more than happy to pay for legal services.

Am I being unreasonable, or is that a little much for an initial phone call? Should I clarify that I just want to have a quick discussion about the attorney’s background and expertise? Is this standard practice in the legal field? Am I potentially missing out on a stellar lawyer because I think paying that much for an initial call is unreasonable?