"Anybody who thinks talk is cheap should get some legal advice"

Legal advice is famously expensive, and the process of consulting with lawyers comes with high hourly rates and sometimes staggering consultation fees. Contrast this practical reality with the common saying “talk is cheap,” a phrase used to suggest that mere words or promises don’t cost anything and carry little weight compared to actions. Franklin P. Jones cleverly juxtaposes these ideas to highlight an exception to the notion that speech is trivial or without price.

By recommending someone “get some legal advice” if they believe talk is cheap, he underscores how, in specialized contexts, talk holds tangible value. Legal advice consists largely of spoken or written opinion, words analyzed, selected, and delivered with great care because of their potential impact. In law, words have power. The precise phrasing of advice, contracts, or arguments can determine the outcome of disputes, lawsuits, and even affect people’s lives or fortunes. The phrase thus doubles as a wry commentary on how expertise transforms ordinary communication into something valuable, even costly.

Beyond humor, the quote encourages reflection on the broader worth of professional opinion or specialized knowledge. In everyday conversation, words may flow freely and without much thought, but once those words are sourced from an expert with years of training, they command a premium. Legal consultations involve not just talk, but talk imbued with authority, experience, and liability, hence the cost.

The observation may also touch on a deeper societal truth. People often underestimate the significance of communication, particularly when it’s well-informed or strategic. In the world of law, and in many professions, the quality, accuracy, and context of the things said can carry enormous weight, influence direction, and justify substantial expense. What looks like “just talk” from the outside is, in certain settings, a commodity that people are willing, even compelled, to pay dearly for.