The industry has seen a boom in litigation-related services, with more than $2.5 billion spent on them in the last year alone, according to a study from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The rise of the free attorney program has also been a boon for firms that want to hire lawyers for their litigation efforts.
Many companies have started paying for free counsel.
Free attorneys, who work as consultants, can often make thousands of dollars for a small fee, said Michael Zaslavsky, who is managing partner of Zaslinsky Law Group.
Some firms have even started charging for the services of attorneys who specialize in civil litigation, he said.
Free lawyers may not be available in all states, so it’s important to keep in mind when selecting the right firm, Zasavsky said.
If you have a good-faith concern about litigation, Zlinsky said, it may be a good idea to reach out to a lawyer with the firm, but if you have doubts about whether the firm is an appropriate one for your case, he advised.
“You need to be able to evaluate the firm on the merits, not just the price,” Zaslovsky said, noting that some firms have lower fees than others.
The industry’s free-attorney industry was born when firms started offering free advice on litigation cases.
That came in response to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in United States v.
Grady in 2008, which set up a federal right to a jury trial.
The decision gave businesses the right to ask prospective jurors to consider their personal beliefs before deciding on whether to convict.
In the years since, more than a dozen states have passed laws setting up their own free-speech protections for their courts.
Some have also passed similar laws that allow for the free-practice of law in other states.
Many of the state laws have been approved by legislatures, and the Supreme Courts have declined to hear challenges to them.
That’s allowed the free speech and free-market arguments to play out in the courts.
While some states have had similar legislation in place for years, they’ve never become a national model, said Steven R. Anderson, who chairs the legal affairs and government affairs practice at the University of Delaware and is an expert on the free markets.
But a lot of companies have gone back to the states in recent years, especially as courts and prosecutors have shifted more of their attention to prosecuting crime, Anderson said.
The Supreme Court has declined to take up cases that challenge free speech protections, and many other courts have not followed suit.
As a result, the free counsel industry has continued to grow, said Andrew Gribbs, a senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware.
Free-speech advocates are also worried that the Supreme