Florida lawyers open kiosk-office in shopping mall

From the Palm Beach Post:

Yes, they're real lawyers:  Booth at Boynton mall peddles foreclosure advice.

Just south of the food court and past the $15 "designer style" jewelry stand is an unusual mall kiosk staffed not with vendors hawking holiday ware but attorneys offering legal advice.

The Law Booth at the Boynton Beach Mall was opened Nov. 1 by three Palm Beach County attorneys who said they saw a need for legal counseling outside normal business hours and the traditional office setting.

Founded by Melva Rozier, Richard Carey and Paul Burkhart, the stand, which sits outside American Eagle Outfitters, is typically open from about 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with "Walmart"-priced advice on legal matters including foreclosure, bankruptcy, estate planning and family law.

They were even open at 4 a.m. on Nov. 25 for Black Friday shoppers.

"People just kind of walk by and ask if we're real attorneys," said Rozier, who was meeting Thursday morning with a woman who ducked into the booth after shopping at Victoria's Secret. "I've watched people make so many mistakes because they think they can't afford an attorney."

Through the end of the year, The Law Booth is offering free 15-minute consultations. Normal pricing includes $25 for a general consultation, $50 for a half hour, and about $100 for a specific consultation.

Another holiday discount running until Jan. 1 is $300 for work on estate planning, trusts and wills. Burkhart said that kind of work can normally cost about $750.

"We wanted to take away some of the fear people have that if they pick up the phone to speak with an attorney that it will automatically cost them $500," he added.

It was also good timing with the economic slump, the attorneys said, which has left more people trying to puzzle out real estate issues such as foreclosures, short sales, loan modifications and deeds in lieu of foreclosure. Attorneys at the booth will also review rental leases.

The Boynton Beach Mall was chosen for the debut of The Law Booth because it's between the Delray Beach, Belle Glade and West Palm Beach offices of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

Carey said the group hopes to open more Law Booth's, possibly in the Mall at Wellington Green and one in Pompano Beach.

"This isn't a temporary thing," said Carey, who took the 4 a.m. shift on Black Friday. "We're really trying to help people who can't do what they need to do during the regular working day."

Hat tip to the ABA Journal Blog.

(jbl).