How To Find The Right Lawyer For Your Case
Despite the many technological advances, the best way to find the right lawyer for your case remains the same that it was 50 years ago or even a hundred years ago - and that’s word of mouth. This is especially true if you don’t need to deal with some type of criminal which would require immediate attention, but you need help with civil case, where you have time to find an attorney and take action. Asking your friends, friends of friends, present co-workers, or former co-workers for a recommendation of an attorney with whom they had a good experience working is a much better way to find a lawyer than most other ways.
Some people choose to work with an attorney who has the sharpest and the flashiest website, or the biggest billboard, forgetting that the quality of that attorney’s web designer or billboard creator says little if anything about their legal skills or their other interpersonal skills that are often just as important when handling a legal case. Some other people choose to work with the very first lawyer who returns their call. While prompt communication is important in every field, and it’s certainly nice to have a lawyer who is responsive, this alone shouldn’t be enough for you to make up your mind as to who you should be working with.
Some people choose an attorney based on that attorney’s confidence in their case, forgetting that all too often those who overpromise tend to under-deliver, especially in the area of litigation, where an attorney cannot and should not be making any promises about the outcome of your case, given all the variables that will come into play.
Finally, many people look for the cheapest attorney, deciding to work with someone who charges 35% contingency instead of 40% or someone who charges $350 / hour and instead $385, to only later deal with tons of frustrating of getting substandard representation. That’s not to say that the more expensive the lawyer is, the better he or she is, but it does mean that you shouldn’t choose a lawyer based on a relatively insignificant fee difference.
This brings me back to the word of mouth. Asking people you know and whose opinion you trust is the first thing you should do when looking for a lawyer or most other professional for that matter. It doesn’t cost anything, and it might connect you with a far better for your case than a random search online or otherwise.
Some people choose to work with an attorney who has the sharpest and the flashiest website, or the biggest billboard, forgetting that the quality of that attorney’s web designer or billboard creator says little if anything about their legal skills or their other interpersonal skills that are often just as important when handling a legal case. Some other people choose to work with the very first lawyer who returns their call. While prompt communication is important in every field, and it’s certainly nice to have a lawyer who is responsive, this alone shouldn’t be enough for you to make up your mind as to who you should be working with.
Some people choose an attorney based on that attorney’s confidence in their case, forgetting that all too often those who overpromise tend to under-deliver, especially in the area of litigation, where an attorney cannot and should not be making any promises about the outcome of your case, given all the variables that will come into play.
Finally, many people look for the cheapest attorney, deciding to work with someone who charges 35% contingency instead of 40% or someone who charges $350 / hour and instead $385, to only later deal with tons of frustrating of getting substandard representation. That’s not to say that the more expensive the lawyer is, the better he or she is, but it does mean that you shouldn’t choose a lawyer based on a relatively insignificant fee difference.
This brings me back to the word of mouth. Asking people you know and whose opinion you trust is the first thing you should do when looking for a lawyer or most other professional for that matter. It doesn’t cost anything, and it might connect you with a far better for your case than a random search online or otherwise.