Tips For Choosing A Lawyer: A Guide
TIPS FOR CHOOSING A LAWYER: A GUIDE
The true attributes of a lawyer’s professional skills are best exemplified by the people that use their services, their training, and their education. Well-educated attorneys come from the world’s top law schools such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and New York University. Properly trained attorneys have had their work scrutinized by senior partners from the world’s largest law firms. That is not to say that a large law firm will necessarily get you an appropriate lawyer. However, if a lawyer did not receive high quality training from senior attorneys that represent large companies that lawyer’s attentiveness to detail, insight, and exposure to relevant legal issues may not be fully developed. You don’t ask your butcher to perform open heart surgery.
Traditionally, people find lawyers by word of mouth or by calling the local Bar Association. This raises two questions. Is the person that you asked for a referral qualified to analyze your legal needs and refer an appropriate attorney? Does your local Bar Association only refer local lawyers, and if so, does the association receive a fee for the referral? If the answers to these questions disturb you, what should you do? The answer is simple: COMPARATIVE SHOPPING.
Before you hire an attorney, ask a lot of questions. But, ask the right questions! There is a difference between the questions you should ask of an attorney handling your business affairs and a lawyer representing your personal issues.
Here are some sample questions to ask of a personal lawyer:
1. Regarding Accidents: Do you have any knowledge of insurance companies and their claims procedures or policies?
2. Regarding Wills: What is your tax background and education?
3. Regarding Government Inquiries: Have you dealt with this agency in the past?
4. Regarding Divorce: How do I handle income tax, business, and credit issues?
Here are the questions you absolutely need to ask a lawyer or law firm that will potentially handle your business affairs:
1. Have any of your lawyers every acted as attorneys or business counselors to Fortune 500 companies or household name companies?
2. Have any of your lawyers ever practiced in a major market like New York City, Chicago, or Boston?
3. Have any of your lawyers ever been law professors?
4. Did any of your lawyers attend either Harvard, Yale, or New York University or a similarly prestigious law school?
5. Did all of your lawyers pass your state’s bar examination the first time they were examined?
6. Have any of your lawyers had their writing published in national legal publications?
Now that you have an idea of what basic questions to ask when shopping for a lawyer, a brief word about legal fees. The rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for. A corporate lawyer that receives $350.00 per hour and can do your job in one hour is ultimately more cost efficient than a lawyer charging $175.00 per hour and billing you for three hours of their time. Similarly, a personal injury attorney who has represented large insurance companies that takes a contingency fee of 33% and gets you a large award is ultimately more cost-efficient than someone that has only acted as a plaintiff’s lawyer that takes a contingency fee of 25% and settles your claim for half of what the insurer is willing to pay.
Just remember, there are a lot of lawyers out there and there is no reason to be hammered, embarrassed, or be bombarded by consumer advertising hype. Be diligent, don’t be shy, and ask questions, questions, and more questions.
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