You would think that with Facebook pages and websites, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a good lawyer. However, Internet access only allows us access to nearly all lawyers but not the legislative crème de la crème. If you want to find an excellent lawyer to get you off the hook, these are the 7 things to look for.
1. You want a lawyer with experience
Even if they graduated law school with flying colours, an inexperienced lawyer isn’t the legal representative you are looking for. To win court cases, a lawyer must have a lot of experience.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they should be old, but they should have practised law for several decades. If you are contacting a well-established law firm, ask them if they will assign a senior lawyer to your case. Merely having a degree and sending legal notice does not make anyone a good lawyer. He should have the experience handling similar types of cases like yours.
2. Asking around
Speaking of experience, the longer a lawyer has been working, the higher the chances that someone you know can recommend them to you. If you plan on hiring a lawyer from your geographical area, ask your friends, family, and acquaintances whether they can refer you to a good solicitor.
They needn’t have represented them in the past, as they could have lost a court against them. Is there a better recommendation than your neighbour saying: “that smooth operator helped my employer avoid paying salaries he owed me?”
Although this was unpleasant for them, you’ll know you have your man or woman.
3. The lawyer has to be a real professional
Practising law requires a personal touch, as this is where the line between mediocre and top-notch attorneys is drawn. However, a lawyer has to have more than an amicable personality to achieve excellence, as they need to conduct themselves professionally.
Professionalism is easy to detect, as the ideal lawyer should be passionate about winning the case, treat your resources and free time as they treat their own, be punctual and always arrive at a meeting with all the materials ready, etc.
4. Criminal charges are no joke
Not all lawyers specialize in all fields of law, as some attorneys are best at family law, while others excel at immigration law. However, the most serious charges a person can face are criminal ones. In this sense, hiring excellent criminal lawyers is paramount to avoid jail time. From drunk driving to drug-related offences, you’ll need a top-notch criminal lawyer to at least secure a fine instead of serving a prison sentence.
5. Attorneys have different approaches
There are as many approaches to your case as there are lawyers. We have previously mentioned how to notice if your lawyer is professional, but sometimes their actions might be their signature style.
Namely, different personalities approach matters differently, so don’t be set off if your attorney is always nervous or raises their voice from time to time.
This doesn’t mean they are bad lawyers; they are human like the rest of us. This might be a good thing in court, as it can induce compassion in the judge and/or the jury.
6. Look for a local lawyer
We recommend hiring a local lawyer unless you have been charged in front of a federal court. You can fly in a fancy lawyer from the big city, but the cost will be significantly higher. A local lawyer charges a lesser fee, but they are more familiar with state, county, and territorial legislation.
A legal expert familiar with your region and the trial history is more likely to quote the right paragraph of a local bylaw. Finally, you won’t have to call them all the time or Skype/Zoom with them, as most of the communication will be tête-à -tête.
7. Who’s in charge of the case?
Finally, if you contact a large law firm, they will probably assign a lawyer to your case. We say “probably,” as some firms have a terrible practice of changing the lawyer on the case all the time. You definitely don’t want this, so I request that you know who’s in charge of your case (name and last name).
Now that you know the 7 things to pay attention to when hiring a lawyer, you can start looking. However, keep in mind that you need to commence the search early, as you’ll begin to panic as the court date approaches.
