Whether you are filing for bankruptcy, going through a divorce, or have recently been in a car accident, the final judgment of your impending court case will impact your future from here on out. In order to make sure that you find the best attorney possible, here are the top five ideas you should keep in mind when searching for legal representation in your area.
1. Reasonable fees: While undoubtedly you want to find an attorney who will represent your best interests and fight for your well-being, you cannot deny that contemplating the cost of obtaining a great lawyer can be a little unnerving. Although you shouldn’t settle just because a particular attorney is the least expensive, you don’t necessarily have to hire the most expensive one either.
Instead of focusing on dollar signs alone, you should gauge what you are being charged for. Start by comparing the lawyer you are interested in against others in the area who have a similar concentration. If his asking price is far below what the competition is charging, then there may be an underlying reason for why he is practically giving his services away. On the other hand, Illinois divorce attorney Arnold Goldstein explains that you also have to keep in mind that you’re going to have to pay for a lawyer’s level of expertise. “The more experience the attorney has, the more it should cost you,” he says. “However, when you are paying more for the service,” he adds, “your lawyer should be so excellent that the case will progress both quickly and smoothly.”
2. Availability: According to bankruptcy attorney Stephen Graves of Graves Law Firm in Texas, one of the most important qualities that an attorney should possess is an enthusiasm for making himself readily available to you when you’re in need. “As you search for the right bankruptcy attorney, make sure to find someone who doesn’t rely unduly on his office staff,” he advises, “and who isn’t so overbooked that he barely has time for you.”
Furthermore, you should never feel rushed when you do sit down to speak with your attorney. If an attorney cannot even manage to set aside enough time in his day to make an excellent first impression, then he probably won’t provide you with the services you need throughout the rest of the legal process.
3. Experience: Simply put, the more experience an attorney has, the more likely he is to be able to do a job worthy of your business. After all, an experienced lawyer will be familiar with the ins and outs of the legal system and have the ability to use his knowledge to offer the best possible defense. “While studying case law and reviewing statutes can certainly be helpful,” says Charles Nistico, a DUI attorney in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas, “when it comes to appearing before a judge and actually arguing a case, it’s hard to find a proper substitute for actual experience.”
Don’t be afraid to do a little cross-examining of your own to deduce just how familiar an attorney is with the area of law you are seeking an expert in. And, as always, ask questions! Treat your first consultation as a job interview, only in this scenario, you are the employer. Instead of just getting a general sense of his practice, make sure you infer about his case-by-case experience and how he has seen cases similar to yours unfold.
4. Free Consultations: “If an attorney has a policy of offering free consultations, then he’s likely to be the type of person who is willing to put in the time to earn your trust and approval,” explains Graves. This proves that the attorney genuinely cares enough about his clients and creates a stress-free environment to discuss all of the details about your case.
Free consultations also allow you to cast a wide net in your search for the lawyer who is right for you. When you don’t have to worry about cost, you can give yourself enough time to meet with as many attorneys as it takes for you to find the one who is worthy of representing you.
5. Strong References: This last part will take a bit of investigating on your part, but your efforts will be rewarded in the end. After all, you want to be reassured that you’ve hired an attorney who is not only experienced, but is remembered for being well-informed, persistent, and respected. One of the best tools that can be used to your advantage is the Internet. When narrowing your initial search, California bankruptcy attorney Catherine Christiansen recommends searching within organizations that only accept members of a particular concentration. For instance, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys is a group with a lot of information for consumers, she says.
Or, if you’d rather get the opinions of individuals who have been represented by this particular attorney, ask his office to provide you with a list of references whom you can contact. Another option is to ask other lawyers in your area for recommendations. A characteristic of a superb lawyer is being well-received by fellow colleagues. For instance, if you have an acquaintance who is a bankruptcy lawyer, but you are looking for an immigration attorney, then ask for his professional opinion as to which immigration lawyers have the best reputation.
In the end, finding an attorney is a personal decision that needs to be made during a stressful time. But, armed with these helpful tips, hopefully the process of finding a lawyer who you are confident in and comfortable with just became a little easier.
This article has been compiled by the Yodle Law Marketing (www.yodlelawmarketing.com) division of Yodle, a leading provider of local Internet marketing devoted to helping lawyers and law firms with marketing initiatives by providing tools and information through this site.
This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Neither publication of this article nor your receipt of this article creates an attorney-client relationship.
