7 Things to Look for When Choosing the Right Lawyer

1. You want a lawyer with experience

Even if they graduated law school with flying colors, an inexperienced lawyer isn’t the kind of legal representative you are looking for. In order to win cases in court, a lawyer needs to have a lot of experience.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they should be old but they should have practiced law for several decades. If you are contacting a well-established law firm, be sure to ask them will they assign a senior lawyer to your case. 

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, then ask your friends, family, and acquaintances whether they can refer you to a good solicitor.

Mind you, 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 neighbor 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

Practicing 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, they will treat your resources and free time as they treat their own, they would 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 if you want to avoid jail time. From drunk driving to drug-related offenses, 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 as many approached to your case as there are lawyers. We have mentioned previously how to notice if your lawyer is professional but sometimes their actions might just be their signature style.

Namely, different personalities approach matters differently, so don’t be set off if your attorney is nervous all the time or they raise their voice from time to time.

This doesn’t mean that they are bad lawyers, just that they are human like the rest of us. In court, this might turn out to be a good thing, as they can induce compassion in the judge and/or the jury.

6. Look for a local lawyer

Unless you have been charged in front of a federal court, we recommend hiring a local lawyer. Sure, you can fly in a fancy lawyer from the big city but the cost will be significantly higher. Not only does a local lawyer charges somewhat lesser a 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 contact a large law firm, they will probably assign a lawyer to your case. We say “probably,” as some firms have a bad practice of changing the lawyer on the case all the time. You definitely don’t want this, so request that you know at all times 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 on, as you’ll start panicking as the court date approaches.