PSA: That 'free consultation' at Smith & Jones Law isn't what you think

Went to Smith & Jones Law on Clark St last week for a free consultation about my landlord issue. Turns out they had me sign a fee agreement hidden in the intake forms. Called the Illinois State Bar Association after and they confirmed that's not standard. Anyone else get tricked by a 'free' consult that turned into a billing trap?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

johnson.river2mo ago

Did you actually read everything you signed before handing it back?

10

linda_reed2mo ago

My husband once signed a lease for an apartment without reading it and later found out we couldn't have our cat. The cat was already living there with us for three months before they noticed. We ended up having to pay a huge pet fee and rehome the cat to my sister. Now I read everything like a detective, even the fine print on pizza coupons. You never know when a tiny detail will come back to bite you!

7

young.michael2mo ago

@linda_reed sounds like your husband learned that lesson the hard way, but at least you saved the cat with your sister.

4