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By ANITA KUMAR
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 5, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Legal advice comes with a hefty price tag, often hundreds of dollars per hour.
But a group of local lawyers is offering limited services for free.
The St. Petersburg Bar Association is fielding e-mail questions about topics ranging from divorce to discrimination, larceny to living wills. One of 90 volunteer attorneys then respond with answers.
"We were looking for a way to make our Web site more accessible to the public," said Brandon Vesely, an appellate lawyer who started the project. "There are real legal problems that we can help with."
The bar, which has almost 1,000 members, launched the Ask-A-Lawyer service on its revamped Web site recently. Already, it has received a handful of questions about family law, wills and employment.
It's the first group to offer the service in Florida, according to executive director Nora Riva Bergman. The program differs from other services, which usually refer people to an attorney for a small fee.
"We wanted to promote more community service by our members," bar president Doreen Young said.
Young, a lawyer with Holland & Knight, said she thinks the program will appeal to people who prefer e-mailing instead of calling a lawyer.
The Web site (http://www.stpetebar.com) also includes other information, such as legal resources from federal, state and local groups, such as Gulfcoast Legal Services.
Not everything is free, however. If legal questions require more than a quick e-mail or phone call, the lawyers are available for meetings, at a variety of rates.