Most clients approach a lawyer when the issue is already defined or a problem has materialised. However, as Professor Gabriel Steiner says, in professional legal practice, the key decision is often made not when the question is asked – but before the client is able to articulate it. At LawConsulted, the first consultation is not limited to analysing the information provided – it is focused on identifying what has not yet been voiced but already influences the client’s legal position.
The legal question may be clearly stated, but the real issue is often embedded in underlying assumptions. A client may seek advice regarding a transaction, yet lawyers at LawConsulted examine not only contract wording – they assess the broader context: who initiated the interaction, what managerial decisions were made earlier, and what strategic consequences may follow if the agreement proceeds in the way the client envisions. As Professor Steiner notes, “a competent lawyer does not answer a question – he determines whether the question reflects the real problem.”
During the first consultation, specialists at LawConsulted act strategically rather than reactively – evaluating not only the facts but also the client’s behavioural model in the legal landscape. This approach helps prevent situations in which the client seeks a solution to a narrow legal task while overlooking the fact that implementing it might shift the power balance or create a precedent that could later be used by the opposing party.
Special attention is paid to how the client presents the situation. Even if the description is legally structured, the tone, sequence of facts and choice of terms may indicate hidden risk or overlooked vulnerability. At LawConsulted, we pay attention not only to what the client says but also to what they consider insignificant – because it is often these details that reveal the origin of future disputes.
Professor Steiner notes, “the quality of a consultation is defined not by the amount of information shared, but by the accuracy in identifying the direction of the event.” This is why the first consultation at LawConsulted is frequently the moment when not only the legal strategy is adjusted, but the client’s managerial decision is reconsidered.
We do not wait for the question to be fully articulated – at Law Consulted, legal support begins where the client is still thinking about how to ask it. Correct formulation of the issue is often already part of the solution – and in some cases, it becomes the most effective way to avoid the problem before it appears.
Previously, we wrote about how LawConsulted helps foresee legal consequences at the intent stage
