Choosing the Right Attorney

Throughout the course of your legal problems, you will have to make some tough decisions. For example, if you were involved in an auto accident then you would have to pick between bringing criminal charges or pressing charges with a plaintiff case. Or say you have a small business that was involved in a deal, then you'd have to decide whether to let it pass or sign it. There is no simple answer in many of these situations, and getting the right lawyer is study the perks of choosing a lawyer in a pre-paid legal plan as opposed to hiring your own lawyer, as well as some basic steps you can take to choose a good attorney.

The highest criterion has to do with a lawyer’s legal ability. A good lawyer lays the law down for you, presents you with choices explains the consequences of each decision you make and gives you advice on the best course of action. In this day and age of complicated legal matters, many lawyers are more and more specialized and you stand to get better information from someone with a practice focused in a particular area of the law than a generalist who deals with a broad spectrum of legal issues. Building understanding is also very important: Your relationship with your lawyer can make or break your case. You need a lawyer who gives you frank advice and council you can trust, someone with enough perspective to step back from an issue and look at it from all angles.

Client-lawyer relationships are very weak within a pre-paid legal plan. Because of the “preventive” nature of most plans, your contact with your lawyer will be restricted on many occasions. You seldom get to talk to your lawyer face-to-face, as most of the consultation is done over the phone- and even when you get to talk to them, it’s hard to build a relationship when your office consultations are limited to a dozen hours a year.

Therefore, I suggest hiring an attorney only when it is truly necessary.

If you find your attorney on the Internet or from referrals, arrange interviews with them. Most don’t mind receiving inquiries about what they do and how able there are. Ask tough questions: How many years have they been in practice? How pleased are their previous clients? How many legal problems of interest to you have they taken recently? Additionally, verify their State Bar Association standing. It's important to find an attorney who is knowledgeable in the specific legal field you need assistance with. But, it is also important to find an attorney you feel conformable working with and one who will be easy to stay in contact with.