Whenever you need to hire an attorney how do you choose which one to hire?

Answer 1

Maybe you know a lawyer in a town where you used to live. Perhaps a lawyer who works for a corporation lives across the street. These lawyers may be able to refer you to other lawyers who have experience with your type of problem.

You also could ask your friends, co-workers and employers if they know any lawyers. Business owners or professionals such as bankers, ministers, doctors, social workers and teachers might be able to give you the name of a lawyer.

You could call a local State Bar-certified lawyer referral service. This type of service refers potential clients to attorneys. After interviewing you, the referral service staff will match you with a lawyer who is experienced in the appropriate area of the law. (There is usually a small charge for the initial consultation with a lawyer.)

Advertisements. You also could check the Yellow Pages, newspaper advertisements or the Internet in your search for an attorney.

Most lawyers choose not to advertise, other than to list their names, addresses and telephone numbers in the Yellow Pages. But lawyers are allowed to advertise in the Yellow Pages, in newspapers and magazines, on the radio and television, on billboards, on the Internet or any place else - as long as the ad does not contain false or misleading information. Lawyers may use ads to list their fields of law. They also may post their fees.

Non-profit public interest organizations, such as groups concerned with civil liberties and housing discrimination, may be able to help you. Such groups sometimes have staff lawyers who might be able to handle your case. Others provide legal help solely to groups of people rather than to individuals. For example, they might help you and your neighbors convince your city council to install a traffic light at a busy intersection.

Depending on your income and the nature of your legal problem, you may be able to get free or low-cost legal help in non-criminal cases from a legal services program. Check the white pages of your telephone book to see if such an organization is located in your area.

In addition, many communities have "dispute resolution" programs. These programs can help you and another person "mediate" or work out problems instead of going to trial. .

Perhaps you belong to a "legal insurance" plan through your employer, labor union, credit union, credit card company - or as an individual. Your plan may cover the kind of legal work you need - just as medical insurance plans pay certain medical costs. Generally, the premiums you pay entitle you to a certain amount of a lawyer's time or to a lawyer's services at a reduced rate.

Answer 2

Unfortunately the US system has a only one attorney BAR ,unlike UK and its old Colonies which have a split BAR system of attorneys (solicitors) and Barristers. The latter system serves to encourage people to have one attorney for life, who deals with everything on your behalf from contracts for your business partnership to your divorce and etstate planning. One of the many advantges of this is that you are not constantly shopping for an attorney and when you need an expert, your lifelong attorney will hire a Barrister on your behalf as well as monitor the costs and the work of the Barrister.

Here in the US the system results in your having to shop for an attorney for all the different events that come up in your legal life.

This, in my estimation is the best way to pursue finding one:
1) Identify the type of attorney you will need. If you are unsure call the BAR of the State you live in to find out what specialty best suits your case.
2) There are sites on the internet that can help you locate attorneys: Start out by looking in online directories, such as FINDLAW.COM, Divorcenet.com, etc, and Martindale Hubble.
2) Yellow Pages do not give you a sense of the attorney as Intenrnet does because you are able to gain so much more information from internet as well as an initial impression. Also Ypages has become exremely expensive compared to internet advertising and lawyers are drifting away from spending the money on the print pages, that yield very little information to the consumer. You will see from internet what law school, what year, and should find attornys with their full biographies and resumes. That is so helpful.
3) When you enter or search under the subject of your case, such as "divorce". you will check under the county and area you live in.
4) Once you have names go to state bar website and check their status and standing.
5)) Once you have the names, start calling. Take serious note of how the attorney responds to your initial call. How long it takes to get back to you, who calls you back, is the screening of your call too onerous and unfriendly. If the latter then that may be a good attorney, but what is the use of a good attorney of they are not responsive?
6) interview three on the phone, you will get a sense...
7) Depending on the nature and complexity of the case you will want to do an interview consultation f=beforehiring the atorny.
8) Check the attorneys retainer agreement. Maybe have someone else read it for you before agreeing to hire the attorney to check the nuances of the retainer agreement.
9) You will get a sense from interviews and calls which you would like to hire. Also you can ask a bunch of questions relating to their esperience if you do not get enough of a sense from resume
10) remember you are the client, do not be intimidated, your instruction to the attorney is the only instruction an attorney may follow, but note, the attorney is the one to give the advice, and usually clients adhere to advice.
11) Second opinions are always available through consultation.
goodluck,,

Answer 3

Ask friends, family, accountants and clergy for a referral to a lawyer they've used and trust. Then ask the lawyer for a list of the best lawyers they know in a particular area.

Most lawyers I've worked with are competent, diligent, and trustworthy. They want to do good work, if for no other reason than the number one source of new clients is...referrals from satisfied clients!

One good test to determine whether to go with a particular attorney is whether they return your phone calls promptly. An attorney should return your call by the end of the next business day. (Basically, within 24-36 hours). If not, then they will likely be unresponsive and you'll get frustrated with them.

Answer 4

Referral is always the best way to get an attorney. Usually you would go to a family member or friend and ask them who they would recommend. From that the attorney may recommend another great attorney that specializes in the field that your case involves or they might take the case themselves. Do not use an attorney you see advertising on TV. I am not saying that they are not any good, but I do believe that a firm that has a great reputation is the way to go.

Answer 5

Referrals from friends are always good but if that doesn't do it, you can contact your local bar (legal) association and you can try to get a few names by specialization. I'm not sure about all states but some states have certifications in different fields which at least give you some comfort level that the attorney had to show a certain level of knowledge in a particular field to be certified. If you do wind up cold calling an attorney, ask if they are certified and make sure you ask their hourly rate up front before phone conference or meeting in person.

Answer 6

It depends on what you need the attorney for. You want to check for criminal if the are a memner of National association of criminal defense lawyers and such. I could reccomend trying to save money as well. You could check PPL. There you can get an attorney on retainer in installments that handle everything from wills to criminal and civil less any involving alcohol, drugs, or harrassment type charges. I use them and like them very much.
It is networking of legal services. They were ranked # 6 of the fastest growing companies by fortune 500 magazine and trade on NYSE. www.prepaidlegal.com/go/aaronlhendricks
click on the enroll online and scroll to the bottom and see where it says want to purchase online they can assist you. If it does not answer your questions, email me and I will send you the link for this. I like it. It kinda does for attorneys what the health insurance has done for doctors--Good luck

Answer 7

First you look for an Attorney who specializes in your needs (examples:) Divorce,DUI,Wrongful Termination. You can start by going to the website:

LegalMatch.com

This is a very good website,that can locate an Attorney for your special needs. You enter the city and state you live in,and what type of Attorney your looking for. You are able to give a brief statement of what your problem is,and you will recieve an email instantly,as to if they have the perfect person for you. (Good Luck)

Answer 8

With advertising so smooth and hard hitting these days it's difficult to sort through, who the good lawyers are.

With respect to hiring I would say your best choice is a referral from others who have used them.

If it's a criminal lawyer you are searching for, my mind says they are the ones who make a great deal of money.
If you need a personal injury lawyer, get references and choose the firm that takes the smallest percentage with the most experience.

In any case, choosing a decent law firm is difficult at best, you will only know how good or bad they are after the case is settled.

Answer 9

Calling your local state bar might be extremely helpful. Word of mouth or asking other attorneys who they might recommend is helpful also. Initial consultations are usually free so check out more than one if possible.

The worst answer was to ask a clerk at the courthouse because they are prohibiyed by law from doing so. Following a Judge around for a weekend is outrageously stupid.

Answer 10

Whenever possible, get a recommendation from a trusted friend who has used a lawyer in a similar matter with very satisfactory results. Otherwise, ask your local library to direct you to the national lawyer directory that identifies lawyers by name, location, areas of specialization, biographical information and peer evaluations by other lawyers. As a last resort, most bar associations offer lawyer referral services, but these recommendations may be merely based on the names of lawyers who say they engage in certain types of practice (Beware: these referral services may not check credentials and the name they recommend to you may be nothing more than the next name on a rotating list used for that field of practice).