We all know at least one friend who’s in the Law field, and if we ever need any legal advice, they’ll definitely be our go-to.
However, some people don’t realise that sometimes it can be considered ‘too much’ if you constantly bombard your friend with questions. Plus, it leaves them in an awkward situation because as a friend, they just wanna help instead of shrugging you off, right?
Well, a Malaysian recently shared a Facebook post that resonated with a lot of lawyers. And it definitely put a lot of things into perspective for people who isn’t in the field.
He said,
“Legal advice and legal services are the product of Lawyers”
“To some extent, it is okay to ask questions. But as it goes into more detail, you either pay for the service or do your own legal research.
“It’s basically the same as selling a product item. The a tester for a product, but if you’re using to much of that tester, the salesperson would ask you to buy instead.
“So, just because it’s a service where people can’t see a physical product, they’ll try to take advantage of it. Some people even say “this is just a question”.
It’s not that we want to be calculative.
“Imagine you’re selling a car… During a test drive, it’s okay to go about 5-10km. But if you want to drive from Shah Alam to KL, go to IKEA then head home again… That’s not a test drive. So you either take a Grab, or buy a car.
“We must know our boundaries. In fact, most of the time, lawyers give good consultation to us without even charging, but please have the professional courtesy for them. Respect their service as it’s their means to make a living.
Respect people’s service, similarly for those who are in the creative industry
Nurhadi Zainol who’s a project manager shares with us that he wrote this post because it happened to him so many times. He also said this is the same for those who are in creatives – where people ask for ‘help’ with a logo design, editing, or proofreading without expecting to pay anything for it.
He adds that, “Perhaps a lot of people do not know how it works and this is where as legal practitioner, we need to educate them about the process. Like what I’ve mentioned in the post, it’s not that lawyers are stingy but it’s just that giving advise is our bread and butter. It’s how we make a living.
“Lawyers, Graphic designers, Videographers, and even writers, they have been doing it for so many hours, day, week, months and years. And because of that amount of time they’ve put in their craft, they’re able to do the work which is considerably easy for them.”
Ultimately, he wants people to be more aware of the services people offer and respect each other’s work – instead of disregard it as a ‘free service’.
So next time you ask for a favour, make sure not to overstep the line – or at least show some courtesy for their service!
Also read: M’sian Shares How You Can Get People Who Owe To Pay You Back In Court Without Hiring A Lawyer!
