6 Things To Look For In A Lawyer Before Hiring Them

When searching for a good lawyer, there are certain factors that you must consider before hiring anyone. There are criteria that you must search for in order to find a suitable lawyer for your case. Otherwise, you might end up with someone who’s ill-equipped to help you in your specific situation. Here are a few things that you must look for in a lawyer before hiring them.

• How Long Have They Practiced Law

One of the very important things to look into when choosing a lawyer is how long they have practiced law. It is not a given that a more experienced lawyer will be better than the less experienced one. However, your chances of success with a more experienced lawyer are better. If your lawyer has worked for a long time, this means that they have more experience. This will help your case in many ways because that lawyer may know a few tricks that can definitely help your case. Also, a more experienced lawyer has a higher chance of knowing your opponent’s lawyer and their strengths and weaknesses.

• Area of Expertise and Types of Clients

When choosing an attorney to represent you, you need to make sure that your case type falls within their area of expertise and that you’re the type of client that they normally handle cases for. You most certainly don’t want to have an injury lawyer handling your divorce or vice versa. Hiring an expert in the area of law that concerns your case increases the odds of you receiving a fair settlement or winning at trial. It is always advised to go to someone who deals with the type of client that you are. If your case is an individual case, it is best not to go to a corporate lawyer.

• Types of Cases

One very important thing to look for in the lawyer you’ll be hiring is their history with cases similar to yours. There are many different types of lawyers and each has experiences with different cases and clients. Qualified attorneys at Kendall Law Firm advise you to choose a lawyer that has experienced a case similar to yours. If you’ve been harmed in a car accident, don’t just look for a personal injury attorney, search for a car accident lawyer. This way you can be sure that they have handled cases where the client was injured in a car accident.

• Fees

It is very important that you don’t neglect the fees that your lawyer will require you to pay. Go for a lawyer that has fees you can handle. Higher fees don’t always mean better results. You can always visit a legal clinic if you can’t afford hiring a lawyer, but try as much as possible to hire a paid lawyer or even better, a firm. Firms have resources that individual lawyers and clinics don’t have which increases your chances of getting your desired outcome. Discuss your lawyer’s fees and how you’ll be paying them beforehand, since you will need to figure out how you’re going to pay them before hiring them.

• Reputation

Anyone can create a social media page, a website or print some flyers saying that they are the best in town. Don’t let a firm’s or lawyer’s words about themselves fool you into believing they are the best fit. A good lawyer or firm must have a good reputation, so try asking your friends and neighbors, or look up some reviews online on the attorney you’ll be choosing.

• Location

It is highly recommended that the lawyer you choose be someone in close proximity to where you live, for example in your hometown or in nearby towns. This is important as you’ll need to get in touch with your lawyer very frequently and you don’t want to have to pay that much for transportation. Always try to meet up with your lawyer instead of discussing business details over the phone. It is always okay to look further out from where you live if you can’t find a good enough lawyer near you.

Most of the time, when you hire a lawyer, you’re looking for someone to trust and be open with. If you don’t feel comfortable around your lawyer, or you feel as if they don’t have your best interests at heart, drop them immediately even if they have a great reputation. Don’t focus solely on how many cases the attorney you’ll hire has won. Always check their winning rate as well. They could’ve won 100 cases and lost 99, and another could have won 80 but lost none.