On the other wall, surrounded by bookshelves, is a menu of legal services that are done for a flat fee. A short distance from downtown near the corner of Abrams and Gaston, a lot of the shop's lunch business comes from the center of town. Even though there are at least two other coffee shops in the area, most of the coffee business comes from the neighborhood. The legal clients come from all over town. Because of the publicity that the combination of two business has generated, some people have the misconception that the shop is a legal aid, Musslewhite says.
People come in and want to chat about a problem when they buy a cup of coffee.
Recently he had an elderly client who had been cited for housing violations on a boarding house that he was running. The man was still pretty feisty for his 90 years and felt like the city was infringing on his constitutional rights. One day all conversation in the shop was interrupted by an incessant car horn coming from in front of the shop. Sometimes I wish I could do just that. Legal Grounds is in the Lakewood Shopping Center at 2015 Abrams, about a mile and a half north of the Deep Ellum entertainment district on the northern edge of downtown Dallas.