How to Find a Good Lawyer

Finding a good attorney can be the most important step you need to take to win a case and it’s not a difficult task, but it will take time to find it. Do your best to find an attorney who has had similar legal experience in the past and who you can get along with. The results you get will be well worth the time it takes to find the right attorney, as they are more likely to help you win your case.

Table of Contents

Looking for Potential Lawyers

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Determine the type of attorney you need. It would be better to find an attorney with expertise in the area relevant to your case (e.g. professional standards law, bankruptcy, etc.). It’s also a good idea to find a lawyer who specializes in litigation and law in your area. This will make the attorney the best representative of your interests. Some areas of law include: ^{[1] X Research Sources}

Bankruptcy laws. Lawyers specializing in this area will help you when you have financial difficulties.
Criminal law. Criminal attorneys are important if your case involves a crime or criminal act.
Disability specialist. In the United States, these specialists can handle Social Security issues and/or veterans’ injury claims.
Trusts and legacy. In the United States, attorneys with this expertise handle issues such as estate planning, meeting low-income Medicaid (Medicaid) program requirements, estate inventory, overseeing for elderly parents or grandparents.
Marital Act. Marriage and family attorneys deal with issues such as separation, divorce, prenuptial agreements, child adoption, guardianship, custody, and child support.
Personal injury law. In the United States, personal injury attorneys deal with cases of violations of medical standards, dog bites, vehicle accidents or injuries caused to anyone by another person’s fault.
Labor Law. Labor lawyers will help your business develop labor regulations, handle cases when employees denounce the enterprise for illegally terminating the labor contract or when the enterprise is sued.
Small and medium enterprise law or company law. If you’re looking to start a business, an SME lawyer or corporate attorney is your best bet.

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Contact the bar association for information on qualified attorneys in your province. In the United States, state bar associations keep all public records of complaints and disciplinary action against attorneys licensed to practice in that state. Most local bar associations offer referral services to assist you in finding the right attorney for your case-related needs.

In the United States, you can find the bar association’s website online by selecting your state on the State & Local Bar Association online site provided by the American Bar Association. ^{[2] X American Bar Association Trusted Source Go to Source}

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Review the list of attorneys online. Many online sites offer free reviews of businesses. In the United States, you can use the following online sites for reviews of attorneys: LegalZoom, Rocketlawyer, LawTrades, and Avvo.com.

Some online sites like LawHelp.org focus on helping low-income people find a lawyer.
Cross-check reviews from various online sites. This will help you avoid any bias in the reviews you find.

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Please recommend from friends and family. Talk to friends or family who have hired a lawyer before. Find out who they hired for what service, were they satisfied with the service, and why. Ask them if you should hire those attorneys.

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Make a list of potential attorneys where you live. The list should include the names, addresses, contact phone numbers, and online addresses of those attorneys. This will help you organize the information you find as you take the next steps.

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Review each attorney’s online page. You’ll want to find out what legal area the attorney practices in. Also, look up the lawyer’s personal information, such as the law school they attended and their specialty.

Find some basic information about the legal matter you need help with, such as frequently asked questions (FAQs), or blogs with articles related to your legal issue. The best lawyers will always maintain and develop their online pages to provide a wealth of information.
Most attorneys’ websites provide information about each attorney who works for the firm. Take note of each attorney’s education and work experience information.
Typically, you need to find an attorney with at least three to five years of experience in the legal field in question. In addition, you should choose a lawyer who is practicing in the area in which you need help.
Remember that a lot of lawyers use social media like Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Check out those profiles as well. The way a lawyer presents himself in public will give you some insight into whether you can work with that person.

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Note that the size of the law firm may also influence your choice. The size of a law firm can be large or small, from one to many attorneys, so you need to choose the company that best suits your situation. Large corporations will want to hire a large-scale law firm to handle particularly complex and often international legal issues. However, if you are just looking for someone to assist with the divorce proceedings or to help draft a will, it may be more comfortable for you to hire an attorney from a small firm. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Choosing a Lawyer

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Make an appointment with all the attorneys on your list. Contact each attorney and schedule a consultation. Most attorneys do not charge for consultations. However, some people may ask you to pay a small fee. Make sure you know if you’ll need to pay fees, and don’t make an appointment with an attorney who isn’t upfront about these details.

Most attorneys offer a free consultation. Reach out to these people before you make an appointment with a fee attorney for your first consultation.
In the United States, if you don’t live in the same state as your attorney, you can schedule a consultation by phone instead of in person. However, since you will usually want an attorney to be present at the hearing with you, try to find a local attorney to represent you.

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Write down questions about the attorney’s field of practice. You can find basic information about lawyers online, such as the length of practice, the law school they attended, etc. For questions asked in face-to-face meetings, ask about relevant issues. to your case. The right attorney will have no problem answering your questions, being unwavering and sure of his answer. Questions to ask should include the following: ^{[4] X Source of Research}^{[5] X Source of Research}^{[6] X Source of Research}

How to calculate service fee. You should ask whether the attorney charges by the hour or sets a flat rate. In the United States, flat rate pricing is common in many areas of practice, such as marriage and family.
Time to complete the job. You should ask how quickly you should expect the attorney to get the job done. Your attorney most likely won’t be able to give an exact number, but he/she can tell you about the timelines needed for similar cases in the past and you can expect the case to be. When will yours be resolved?
Success rate. You will probably want to know the attorney’s track record in similar cases in the past. Attorneys cannot guarantee results for you (ethically, they are prohibited from doing so), but you should have an idea of the outcome you can reasonably expect. You can also consult previous customers. Understand that attorneys only provide client information with their permission, so it’s likely you won’t be able to immediately consult them.
Readiness level. You should ask how soon the attorney can start the case. You should also find out your primary point of contact throughout the case resolution process. Will you hear from an assistant or junior colleague? You need to know who you will contact when you have questions about the case.
Offenses. If the attorney has ever committed misconduct or was reprimanded – in the United States, you can find this information on the state bar association’s online site – ask them about it. In some cases, violations may not be serious, such as failure to pay bar union fees on time. You need to consider whether the violation is serious enough to cause concern.

Cost Consideration

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Understand how a lawyer’s services are charged. In the United States, there are generally three ways to calculate service charges: fixed cost, dependent cost, or hourly cost. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

A flat-fee attorney will set a fee (sometimes an upfront fee) to handle the entire case, regardless of the number of hours worked involved. A few examples of cases that typically charge a flat fee are criminal cases, bankruptcy or family relationship cases (such as divorce or custody), drafting legal documents, such as will or trust document.
The dependent attorney does not charge a fee, unless the attorney recovers the funds for the client, whether in the form of mediation or litigation. The attorney will receive a certain percentage of the recovery amount, usually between 30 and 40 percent. Some of the cases that are subject to an additional charge include personal injury cases, employment discrimination and others that have the potential to recover large sums of money from a corporation or business.
Attorneys charge an “invoice” hourly rate for hours worked and charge clients based on hours worked for the client. Typically, hourly fees are applied to businesses or corporations that have litigation-related claims. In addition, individuals may also be charged an hourly rate for lengthy or complex proceedings. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Negotiate a fee. Figure out what you can afford, and ask if your attorney can handle the case for that amount. Furthermore, you should tell the attorney that he or she needs notice before doing anything related to your case that leads to over budgeting.

Note that even if your budget is accurate, if the case becomes particularly complicated or takes longer than originally anticipated, you may have to pay higher attorneys’ fees.
If you are unable to pay the full amount of your attorney’s fees upfront, ask about financial arrangements that work for you, such as a payment plan. Many attorneys are happy to work with you based on your financial needs. ^{[10] X Research Source}
There are a few ways lawyers can help low- and middle-income people find legal advice. In the United States, many law firms allow you to pay a “matching fee” to your income, which means you pay a fee proportional to your allowable income. ^{[11] X Trusted Source American Bar Association Go to Source} Sometimes you can even barter by exchanging goods or services (e.g. online website design, gardening) with legal advice. physical. ^{[12] X Research Source} This depends on the individual attorney.

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Draft a letter of engagement or prepayment agreement to hire a lawyer. Your attorney will provide this letter or agreement. This is a contract between you and an attorney that defines the nature of the legal relationship you are entering into and the terms and conditions of that agreement.

The above conditions should include the fee you are obligated to pay, the fee the attorney charges you, and the minimum amount of time to bill. Note: the minimum amount of time to bill is six minutes, not 15 minutes. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Advice

Consider firing your attorney for any of the following: omissions in your statement or missed hearing dates, refusal to update your case status, failure to answer the phone, and email, not being direct or honest when you ask questions.
To get the best out of your case, work with an attorney. Always provide all required documents, and don’t miss hearings – if you live in the United States. A good attorney will certainly assist you in your case, but they can’t do much without your cooperation.

Steps

Looking for Potential Lawyers

Choosing a Lawyer

Cost Consideration

Advice

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