to wonder why people think lawyers give up their time free?

[RaspberryCoulis]

See it all the time on threads - go and see a lawyer, you'll get 30 minutes free advice.

Where does this myth come from?

I'm a solicitor. I will have a scoping call with a prospective client to establish what the issues are likely to be, and to talk about funding and quote. I might give them some general information about eg time limits, but I am very clear that I will not give definitive advice during such a call. A solicitor can be sued even if they have not been paid for advice, and I'm not prepared to risk that.

Legal work is hugely competitive and lots of lawyers offer a free initial interview and often also no win no fee. And high street lawyers aren't well paid.

Some do. I've had great family law advice, the lawyer came over and spent far longer than 30 minutes with us, and we never felt obligated to engage his services. He was also very helpful with subsequent queries.

We didn't proceed with the case but I would have chosen him based on how good he was.

I saw on a thread today that someone said “I’ve booked my phone call for free half hour” now I assume that they spoke to someone before they booked and it is indeed free. So some must do it?

It only takes a few seconds to look this up on the internet. Zillions of law firms offer a free initial interview. Here is just 1 of them:
"We offer a free initial 30-minute consultation in the following areas:
Trusts & Inheritance Planning, Probate & Estate Administration, Employment Law, Company Law, Dispute Resolution, Debt Recovery and Landlord & Tenant Disputes."

You’ll get 30 minutes free to see if you have a case and some preliminary advice. You won’t get your problem solved.

My sister is a family law solicitor and it’s amazing how many people come to her waving the “30 minutes free initial consultation” ticket and expect her to solve all their complex legal problems for free in that time.

I've always assumed its a bit like a tradesperson giving a quote.

They come out. They assess the job, take measurements etc. and then quote. Lawyers look at the scope of the work, give some brief advise as to how it can be taken forward and some idea of the costs and risks of doing so.

It would be a rare case that could be sorted out within the hour I imagine.

^^^ e.g. they coiuld say something very generic like:

Yes you may have a defamation case for suing Mr. Bloggs for calling you a "tree destroying bastard" and distributing it on a leaflet door to door to every house in a five mile radius.

These sorts of cases are not without risk and if you lose you will find you have to pay Mr. Bloggs cost as well as your own. If he can prove that you are a "tree destroying bastard" he will win.

These sorts of cases are always expensive and take a long time. Mr. Bloggs may not have enough money to be worth suing. Our fees are £x per hour and we'd probably need to engage a barrister if it can't be settled at an early stage. Have a think about it. I'm sorry you've been called a "tree destroying bastard."

Some do, or some have an initial consultation for a set fee and time.
But it surely depends on the type of solicitor.

I work in house. My department don't charge internally. I get internal clients asking me if they can have a free half hour.