Many different situations in life can result in you needing a lawyer. When these happen, things are probably pretty serious or just could be. Given that, you want to make sure that you not only have a lawyer but a good one. Knowing what to look for in a good lawyer helps you accomplish this, and there are six specific things you can use as a checklist.
Affordability
Lawyers can be expensive, so you need to make sure you can actually afford their rates. Always ask about things you might do to reduce their workload and overall bill. Small choices up front can help save you time and money down the road.
Availability
Good lawyers tend to get booked up with clients quickly. Be sure they’ll actually be there for you and not just dump your case on paralegals who handle everything. They’ll handle a lot of the workload, but they shouldn’t handle all of it.
Specialty
Most lawyers have certain fields that they specialize in. If you’re dealing with a case of personal injury on the job, then you need to be looking into work related accident lawyers but not family or criminal attorneys.
Communication
How well does a lawyer communicate with you? Hopefully, you’ll find out just in a free consultation. Spending just 15 minutes or a half-hour with a legal professional should be enough time for you to discover if they can break down complicated legal concepts into the basic language you can understand.
Effectiveness
Check with the state bar and local legal resources to learn all you can about how many cases they have taken and won. Also, check previous client reviews for their levels of satisfaction.
Comfort
The final determining factor as you winnow down your list of potential lawyers is simply going to be how comfortable you personally feel with them. Of all the objective factors you can look into, this one is conversely subjective. In the end, you need to go with your own gut or intuition to ascertain whether or not a particular attorney is the right one for you.
Winding up in any situation where you need a good lawyer is not usually fun in itself, and having to look for a good lawyer on top of that might feel like it’s more than you should have to handle. However, it can also be a turning point in your life where you start getting a better handle on things.
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