My time is what I sell

I have clients that call me everyday to ask me questions. I'm glad to try to calm their fears. However, when they receive their bill they are shocked at how quickly their calls add up. (I normally give a new client 2 "free" calls because in the beginning many people are scared and a quick answer calms them down). If you think about it, all an attorney has to sell is their knowledge and their time. Many people want a flat-rate fee -- however, they also want to be able to call on a daily basis and talk to their attorney. Most flat-rate attorneys will NOT accept your phone calls. I don't think that most people recognize how much time each phone calls takes. Today, I received over 75 emails and 10 phone calls. I did not get the chance to deal with everyone that contacted me! When someone leaves a message that it's urgent and to call "anytime" I often want to call them at 2 a.m. and see if they appreciate my call! I'm a night person and a couple of weeks ago someone called me at 1 a.m. and I picked up the phone. She was shocked to reach me ,but I figured that if someone called that late it must be important. I referred her to somone in her county for legal help.