Tips on Choosing the Right Attorney for Your Case
Facing a legal matter prompts people to hire an attorney to defend their rights and represent them in court as necessary. Are you dealing with a legal case right now and don’t have a lawyer yet? While there are a lot of attorneys found in your local area, choosing one can be an overwhelming process, most notably for a first-timer. So, how do you select the right lawyer for you? In this post, you’ll learn helpful tips on choosing the right lawyer for your case.
Consider Hiring a Local Attorney
It’s best to locate a local attorney to help you with your case then hire someone who is always out of town, making communication more difficult. Below are some of the advantages of hiring a local lawyer:
- Local Law Expertise: A lawyer who is locally working in your area is highly knowledgeable about local ordinances and laws, wherein you’ll have the advantage over hiring an out-of-town or out-of-state lawyer.
- Local Legal Connections: A reputable local attorney with years of experience already has an established network of legal connections, from police officers, prosecutors, and the jury. Such relationships can be influential in the possible outcome of your case.
- Accessibility: By hiring a local attorney, you can easily approach the lawyer or his staff in their physical office address if you have problems or concerns with your case. Follow-up is a lot easier in just a few minutes’ drive away.
Conduct an Interview
A face-to-face interview is a must if you want to find the best lawyer to handle your case. Most lawyers offer free initial consultation or legal advice for an hour or less.
Check out these examples of the possible questions you can ask to determine the expertise and experience of a lawyer.
- Expertise Questions: What is your expertise? What case are you handling most of the time? What percentage of your legal caseload is related to handling a similar situation like mine?
- Education and Training Questions: What law school did you attend? Where did you practice your first few years after passing the bar exam?
- Reputation Questions: Are you a member of a specific legal organization in the state or country? Can you provide references from your other clients?
- Case and Law Firm Operation Questions: How do you track your success? What are the applicable legal and additional fees? How will you inform me of the development of my case?
Know Where to Look
There are many places to find a prospect lawyer, including getting a referral from a friend, phone book, social media, and internet search. Also, unions and organizations offer representation, like the American Bar Association (AMA).
Know What to Look
When looking for a lawyer, it’s crucial to know the essential qualities of a good lawyer that can make a big difference in your case’s success. The combination of soft skill and technical legal expertise of a lawyer you’ll be hiring would be useful to your most significant advantage. Here are some examples:
- Excellent Negotiation Skills: A good lawyer should be skilled in all types of negotiation, such as negotiating with the court to give you less penalty or sentence for a DUI charge.
- Excellent Communication Skills: It’s also vital to work with a lawyer with whom you are comfortable. In this way, you can freely express your thoughts and emotions about the case.
- Empathetic: The lawyer is your legal advocate who is willing to listen and provide appropriate legal options.
- Excellent Problem-solving Skills: Have you heard about a lawyer who always wins cases handled? Then the lawyer must have excellent problem-solving skills.
Consider Referrals
If you know a family relative or friend who faced the same legal issues as yours and won the case or gained satisfactory outcomes, you might consider setting up an initial appointment to interview the lawyer. At least, you have peace of mind about the possible resolution of your case because it will be by an expert and experienced lawyer with a notable legal background. Here are some helpful reminders when considering referred lawyers:
- Make sure to compare them with your other choices still.
- Use it to narrow down your options.
- Set up an appointment with all involved lawyers so you can make a final decision.
Choose the Right Lawyer for Your Case
Lawyers have different specializations, try to find someone capable of managing your case. Choosing an experienced lawyer or one who has handled a similar legal case as yours is a good idea. When selecting a specialization of a lawyer, you have to assess your legal needs first.
What is the type or nature of your legal case? Hiring a general practice lawyer can be a good start. For a particular instance, you’ll need a legal expert that is well trained and experienced in handling a similar situation. Here are the different types of lawyers below:
General Practice Lawyer
A general practice lawyer handles a broad range of legal issues. Of course, they also have specific areas of law they are most comfortable handling.
Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury lawyers handle car accidents, motorcycle accidents, workplace injuries, medical malpractice, and other forms of personal injury or violation of tort law. They specialize in seeking compensation for damages due to injuries caused by the at-fault individual or entity.
Personal injury lawyers also have subcategories based on the type of injury you sustained. For example, if you or your loved one has been in a car crash, hiring a car accident lawyer is highly recommended or someone who frequently handles car accident cases.
Criminal Lawyer
A criminal lawyer can help you deal with the legal aspects of being accused of committing a crime. This type of lawyer frequently handles criminal law issues related to arrest, pleas, bail, arraignment, and other matters related to the criminal trial itself.
Estate Planning Lawyer
This type of lawyer helps clients in creating trusts and wills. If you want to ensure that all the legalities of drawing up a will to be passed on your beneficiaries at your terms, consider hiring an estate planning attorney. This lawyer can help you create trusts to take care of the financial needs of your children.
Employment Lawyer
If you’re an employee, facing problems with your employer or a business owner who is having a problem with your employee, an employment lawyer must be available to provide legal advice about matters arising within an employer-employee or employment relationship or from an employment contract.
Intellectual Property Lawyer
An intellectual property lawyer is also called an IP attorney who can advise you about intellectual property issues, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and industrial design.
Corporate Lawyer
For those who own a corporation, consulting a corporate lawyer can help you with compliance issues and general organizational governance issues.
Immigration Lawyer
Consulting an immigration lawyer who is well-versed in handling immigration issues is a good idea for those dealing with immigration issues. You’ll be abreast of the legal aspects affecting your citizenship, visas, asylum or refugee status, and green card.
Bankruptcy Lawyer
For those facing financial difficulties, hiring a bankruptcy lawyer when contemplating bankruptcy proceedings is highly recommended. In this way, you’ll get expert legal advice on the types of bankruptcy and eligibility for bankruptcy, determining the best for your circumstances and potential options you may want to explore.
Tax Lawyer
If you’re having problems with the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), seek the legal help of a tax attorney specializing in the intricacies of local, state, and federal tax laws. This lawyer can provide expert legal advice on the specific tax issue you’re facing right now.
Family Lawyer
Do you need a prenuptial agreement? Are you thinking of engaging in divorce proceedings? All legal matters dealing with family is the expertise of a family lawyer, including issues involving spousal support and child custody.
Social Security Disability Lawyer
The complexity of the Social Security Disability (SSD) system usually prompts people to hire a lawyer. This type of lawyer can help you deal with the SSD process, including dealing with eligibility issues, appealing for a denied benefit, and benefit reduction or termination.
Civil Litigation Lawyer
If you want to sue someone or respond to a lawsuit filed against you, you should seek a civil litigation lawyer. There are also different lawyers specializing in different litigation areas, such as corporate litigation lawyers who are experts handling commercial litigation issues.
In conclusion, when choosing the right attorney for your case, it’s essential to conduct interviews, know the qualities to look for, and assess the lawyer’s expertise and experience. Aside from online searches, you can find lawyer referrals from respected unions and organizations, relatives, and trusted friends.
It’s also essential to choose the best type of lawyer based on the legal case that you are facing today. You want someone highly knowledgeable and experienced in handling a similar situation for your most significant advantage and best resolution of your case.
