Heather Benesh sat across from attorney Lora Sanders and shuffled through her folder of documents.
Sanders took notes, answered her questions and dispensed advice. The pair spoke for almost an hour.
Normally, an interaction like that would take place in a lawyer’s office during a scheduled appointment with a desk between the two parties. This conversation, however, took place with coffee beans grinding in the background and baristas pouring lattes at the Songbird Coffee and Tea House in downtown Phoenix.
People are encouraged to drop by the coffeehouse on the first Monday of every month between 4 and 7 p.m. for the “Cafe O’Law” Q&A session hosted by Sanders. She provides free legal advice to anyone stopping in for a pour-over coffee or cafe au lait.
Benesh, a Phoenix chemist, has frequented Cafe O’Law several times. During today’s visit, she asked Sanders to look over some documents regarding an ongoing custody issue.
When Benesh needed legal advice, the cost of an attorney was overwhelming.
“A retainer can cost $5,000,” she said. “They charge for each visit and email. I had no help, and Lora was there. I’ve referred several people to her.”
Since 2009, Sanders carved out time from practicing family law at The Sanders Law Firm, L.L.C. to speak informally and free of charge to people seeking legal advice. The Q&A sessions started out at a friend’s restaurant before setting up regularly at Songbird in early 2013.
She said she was inspired by the work of Kim Pearman, a Los Angeles real-estate attorney who was so passionate about educating the public that he opened up a hot-dog stand and offered free legal advice to customers.
Although Sanders focuses on family law, the Cafe O’Law guests’ questions range across the legal spectrum. Even if Sanders can’t help them, she can put them in contact with another attorney who can.
“The legal community is incredibly generous,” she said. “Probably one of my greatest assets is all the other attorneys I know. If I shoot an email out to five or six people, even if they don’t know the answer, they might know five or six other people that they can ask. It goes pretty quickly. You’d be amazed. People are very kind and willing to help and give up information.”
In the future, Sanders said she hopes to involve other specialty lawyers with Cafe O’Law.
The process of finding an attorney can be intimidating, she said. The intricacies and cost can dismay people. Setting the Q&A session in a casual atmosphere encourages people to drop-in and feel comfortable speaking with a lawyer.
“The main thing is to help a lot of people,” Sanders said.
Songbird, located at 214 E. Roosevelt St. inside the MonOrchid building, just celebrated its second year in business.
Barista Mariah DeRaet said she has noticed an increased Monday evening turnout. Most of the attendees are not prior customers, she said.
Songbird also hosts First Friday events, art shows and a Saturday board game night.
Contact the reporter at mccarthy.ww@gmail.com
