Fast legal access is a step in the right direction

I cannot comprehend why the writer of “Lawyers are keeping up with the times” (June 13) views my letter “Make legal services more accessible and affordable to clients” (June 7) as an affront to lawyers.

I suggested how lawyers can take their calling to the next level, by embracing more advanced technology to help the courts, their clients and themselves.

I stressed the importance of the first consultation, and the need to have fee guidance to enlighten potential clients on the costs involved so that they are, to an extent, clear about the road ahead should they engage lawyers.

We should welcome an environment that allows the public to gain insight into the legal process, including how long it would usually take if it goes the distance.

On the same website I suggested, the public should be educated about the availability of other dispute resolution options, like private settlement negotiation, how the processes work and the likely fees.

The writer missed my all-important point: That legal guidance, from the first consultation, must be readily available.

Legal clinics do not offer that kind of access. An applicant usually must register his interest and is informed when he could visit. The clinics do not accept business problems, only personal ones, like divorce and personal accident.

The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) works with different constraints, and access is available only when an applicant passes the means and merits tests. Further, the LAB does not offer advice on criminal matters.

The writer identifies what her law firm can do for potential clients and is entitled to promote her firm. She cannot, however, speak for all law firms or lawyers, who are not all the same.

Diversity makes our nation tick, but I hope that more lawyers, if not all, would offer free consultation on a potential client’s first visit and that such meetings are for an hour at least.

In this way, the potential client — even a person who has not been arrested or charged with an offence — would feel at ease to disclose his problem and receive legal guidance.