Is it appropriate to ask lawyer neighbor legal question? -

I live in a condo building and my neighbor, who I ve only spoken to a few times, is a lawyer (I m not sure what kind). I need a little legal advice related to a traffic citation - would it be inappropriate to seek an opinion from him? I don t necessarily want a complete legal solution to the problem, just an opinion if my situation is worth getting a lawyer. Any input? Maybe from some lawyers?

No, in fact it s a good idea and he would probably appreciate you coming to him. As long as you re not pushy he ll help.

No. A close relative of mne is a lawyer, and he, like most lawyers, hates being hit up for free advice. The best way to see if he will help you as a neighbor instead of a lawyer who conveniently lives next door is to be upfront, ask him/her what their fee structure is because you have a legal question to ask. Your neighbor might assist you on a neighborly level, not as a lawyer because there s too much at risk for them. Remember: lawyers like doctors have all kinds of confidentiality issues to deal with, and dispensing free advice to a neighbor can potentially get them disbarred.

Ask yourself this... if you were - for example - a plumber, and this same neighbor came up to you and said quot;My toilet is overflowing, will you come and fix it for free?quot; what would your answer be? If he s a close enough friend that you d be willing to give him the benefit of your skills for free, then it s fine to ask him to do the same for you. If he s just someone quot;you ve spoken to a few timesquot;, then I d ask him if you can give him a call at work to ask a legal question. That gives him the opportunity to *offer* to answer it for you for free if he wants, but avoids the awkwardness of you asking him a question *expecting* to get an answer for free. Richard

Why not ask and better way to get to know your neighbor. Just keep it brief and see how he responds and you can read his impression of you asking and see how it goes. If he seems bothered make sure to talk a little about something else(like the weather) since you have to be neighbors.

You can ask and he can give. Mind you, he doesn t have to give free advise, but it wouldn t hurt to ask.

You May ask, but it may be he will need more then you are willing to talk about

if your instred in payin 200-300 dollars an hour than yes