Coffee & Counsel℠

C.I.V.I.C.S.

Community • Innovation • Value • Integrity • Collaboration • Service

Community: Coffeehouses can help bring a sense of community to urban neighborhoods. LegalGrind® full-service coffee bars and friendly operators allow them to become part of their host communities, setting them apart from the competition. Citizens are focusing on bringing positive change to their communities, which requires interaction with others outside of the home and work. Coffeehouses bring people together in an appealing, relaxing atmosphere to converse and share information, and build a sense of community, all for the cost of a cup of coffee.

Innovation: LegalGrind® is dedicated to improving the delivery of legal services to moderate-income people who do not qualify for legal aid yet lack the discretionary income to pay for traditional services. According to Mary K. Ryan, Chair of the ABA's standing committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, "Legal Grind® demonstrates the type of commitment to innovation that the legal profession needs to pursue."

Value: In order to create a market for legal services amongst middle- and low-income people, LegalGrind® will continue to make its services setting comfortable and affordable. By driving down the average price through fair competition, by encouraging the client to use only necessary services, and by providing the support that permits clients to appear in court “in pro per” (without an attorney) where advisable, the LegalGrind® has brought quality law within the financial reach of middle-income individuals. According to Founder Jeffrey J. Hughes, "Clients should walk away feeling they got more than what they paid for."

Integrity: An ABA Legal Needs Study found that three-fourths of low-income households and two-thirds of middle-income households refuse to seek legal help for their disputes partly because they don’t trust attorneys. LegalGrind®'s Coffee & Counsel℠ blends philanthropic and entrepreneurial interests to help restore the reputation of lawyers. Participating attorneys donate some time in part as a gesture of good will, yet they are simultaneously introduced to a new client base and source of referrals.

Collaboration: Collaboration between Legal Grind® operators, attorneys and their clients is necessary for those attorneys willing to commit a certain portion of their practice to providing unbundled legal services to pro se clients. LegalGrind®’s attorneys will often delegate their workload to the operator, so the attorney can focus on the more complicated and contested issues that need to be addressed. Likewise, in performing tasks for customers, operators must recognize when a problem goes beyond document preparation, thus necessitating an attorney's attention.

Service: LegalGrind®'s cutting edge business model would wither on the vine without exemplary customer service. LegalGrind® provides its services in a friendly, one-on-one atmosphere. When contemplating hiring any professional, customers appreciate face-to-face contact; the consumer wants to know his legal matter is personally met with individual care and attention. Additionally, LegalGrind®'s slogan, Justice Served Daily® reminds both attorneys and clients that the legal profession is a service business.