mcb@presto.ig.com (Michael C. Berch) (02/25/90)
(This is from CALIFORNIA LAWYER, January 1990)
"HUNTINGTON BEACH-- His friends were always bugging Michael Cane for
free legal advice. So Cane decided to make every utterance pay.
Since October he has been running what he says is the nation's first
call-in lawyer hotline. Five days a week, 12 hours a day, Cane and
five other attorneys work the phones dispensing legal pointers at
'Tele-Lawyer.' The cost: $3 a minute, charged to the caller's phone
bill or credit card. 'This is preventive law,' says Cane, sitting in
his office waiting for calls on the 900-line service. 'We handle the
small questions before they become big problems.' [...]
Officials at the State Bar and the American Bar Association say they
are unaware of any similar telephone services in the country. For
now, the State Bar says it will treat the services as just another
law firm. Cane says he consulted with bar officials before opening
for business.
Although the idea of a legal phone service had bounced around in
Cane's head for a long time, he took action only last year. He has
invested about $500,000 in the project and is already thinking about
expansion. 'It's a needed service, he says. 'I don't people realize
how much it is needed.'"
===========================================
My comment: "Only in California..."
Michael C. Berch
mcb@presto.ig.com / uunet!presto.ig.com!mcb / ames!bionet!mcb