“KNOWLEDGE IS ESSENTIAL”
by Contributor
(Jun. 27, 2019) — Getting the right attorney is a time-consuming, but very important process. Follow these 5 essential steps to finding the right lawyer for you and your case.
In the U.S, there are approximately 1.1 million lawyers licensed to practice law. With so many lawyers available, however, it can be daunting to find the best one for your legal needs.
Just like choosing the best product in the market, you need to do proper research before making an informed decision on the lawyer to work with.
From real estate purchase to drafting a trust or a will, finding the right lawyer for your legal needs is the first step to winning a legal case. Here are five essential steps to finding the right lawyer for you and your case:
5 Important Steps to Finding the Right Lawyer
- Determine your type of case
The first step in the process of finding a lawyer is to determine the nature of your case. The law is vast, and lawyers specialize in different areas of law. That’s why you need to know what type of case you’re dealing with to accurately choose the best lawyer to represent you.
Depending on your case, the best attorney should be able to address and help you resolve your case in the most professional way.
During this first step, you may seek consultancy from your general corporate lawyer concerning the nature of your case and help you to identify the type of lawyer you should be looking for.
The best thing with hiring a specialist is that they’re conversant with the latest developments and legal nuances applicable to your problem. Finding a lawyer with such up-to-date knowledge is essential as it could be the difference in winning or losing your case.
- Seek Referrals and Recommendations
After you’ve determined what type of lawyer you need, the next step is to seek referrals and recommendations from family and friends. Find out from your friends and family who they’ve hired for their cases and what type of cases they needed to be resolved.
Go ahead and inquire whether they were satisfied with the quality of services offered and if not, let them give you the reasons. Ask if they would recommend the lawyer.
Seeking referrals and recommendation from the people you trust is one of the best ways to find a trusted and reliable legal advisor. Satisfied clients will often recommend the lawyer they’ve worked with.
Ask for referrals from other attorneys that you know. This is another great way to land on the best lawyer as you’ll be provided with important details about a particular lawyer that may not be available online.
This info may include a lawyer’s competence level, practice habits, and ethics and also their reputation.
- Review online listings of attorneys and Local Bar Association
You also need to check out sites that offer free reviews of lawyers. You may find lawyer reviews on sites such as LegalZoom, LawTraders, Avvo.com, and Rocketlawyer. Sites like LawHelp.org usually help low-income persons find attorneys.
You can go ahead and contact state bar associations for qualified lawyers near you. Bar associations typically maintain public records about attorneys licensed to practice in various states. They also offer free referral services that guide you in finding an attorney that best suits your legal needs.
With that in mind, cross reference reviews from the different website as this will help you counter any bias in reviews.
- Review Each Attorney’s Website
Come up with a list of all potential lawyers you’ve found in your area. The list should have their names, addresses, contacts, and their respective website addresses. With these important details, you then need to look for background information on the attorneys, such as areas of specialization.
Check out each of their websites as it contains most information that you may need to assess their work history and educational background. The best lawyer should have at least three to five years of experience practicing law. You should also ensure that the attorney practices in the area you reside in.
You may also check out their social media handles to see how they convey themselves to the public. This will help you have a sense of how you’d work with them.
- Organize for Initial Consultations
Before having the appointments, you need to create a list of questions that you may have about the case and their services. Doing that helps you to organize your thoughts ahead of time and also makes sure the lawyer understands your case.
Some of the questions that you should ask your potential lawyer include:
Have you handled such cases before?
The lawyer should be able to handle your case the best way. The best way is to find one that has handled cases similar to yours in the past. They should also let you know the odds of winning your case are and if there are alternative ways to handle the case.
What are your legal fees?
An attorney’s pricing is another crucial thing to consider before hiring them. Try and understand how much they charge for handling cases such as yours. This helps you ensure that you can afford the lawyer’s services.
Do you have a record of professional misconduct?
Find out if the lawyer has a record of violating any rules of professional conduct such as overcharging their clients.
How available are you for my case?
You definitely want to know the lawyer’s availability in handling your case. Inquire on how they plan to communicate with you and how often you’ll get updated about your case.
Always pay attention to how clearly the lawyer responds to your questions. This will help you establish how well they conduct themselves and if they are the best to work with. Find a lawyer today and have your case dealt with in the most professional way.
Choose A Lawyer You’re Comfortable With
Apart from the lawyer’s experience in the legal field, you should try finding a lawyer who you feel you’d feel comfortable working with.
Also factor in how well the attorney responded to your questions. Avoid choosing a lawyer that wasn’t clear with their answers as this may show lack of competence and confidence in what they do.
Nevertheless, following the steps mentioned above will help you in finding the best lawyer for your legal needs.