Bankruptcy law. This will be helpful if you are struggling with your finances. Criminal law. An attorney who specializes in criminal law is important if your case involves a crime or potentially illegal activity. Disability specialist. Disability specialists can handle Social Security and/or veteran’s disability claims. Trusts and estates. This type of lawyer deals with issues such as estate planning, qualifying for Medicaid, probating an estate, and obtaining guardianship of an elderly parent or grandparent. Family Law. Family law attorneys handle matters such as separation, divorce, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, guardianship, child custody and support. Personal injury law. Personal injury attorneys handle cases involving medical malpractice, dog bites, car accidents and any injury to a person that may be the fault of another. Employment law. Employment attorneys can help your business set up employment policies or handle cases where either an employee sues a business for wrongful termination or a where a business is sued. Small business or corporate law. If you are looking to establish a business, a small business attorney or corporate attorney is your best choice.
You can find your bar association’s website by selecting your state from the State & Local Bar Associations page provided by the American Bar Association. [2] X Trustworthy Source American Bar Association Leading professional organization of lawyers and law students Go to source
Some websites, such as LawHelp. org, focus on helping low-income individuals find attorneys. Cross reference reviews from more than one website. This will help counter any bias in reviews you find.
Most attorneys offer consultations for free. Start your search with these before you consult with an attorney who charges for initial consultations. If you do not live in the same state as the attorney, you can schedule a phone consultation instead of an in-person meeting. However, because you will usually want your attorney to appear with you in court, you should try to find a local attorney to represent you.
Pricing. You should ask whether the attorney offers hourly pricing or flat fees? Flat fee pricing is very popular for many areas of practice, particularly things like family law. Delivery time for legal work. You should ask how quickly you can expect for the attorney to complete your legal project. Your attorney will likely not be able to give you an exact number, but s/he should be able to tell you how long previous, similar cases have taken and when you can likely expect a resolution. Success rate. You will probably want to ask what the attorney’s track record is with cases like yours. Attorneys cannot guarantee an outcome (they are ethically forbidden to do so) but you should have an idea of what results you can reasonably expect. You can also ask for references from prior clients. Be aware that the attorney must obtain permission from prior clients before s/he can give you their information, so you may not get references immediately. Availability. You should ask how quickly the attorney can start. You should also ask who your primary contact throughout the case will be. Will you hear mostly from an assistant or junior colleague? You should know who to contact with questions about your case. Misconduct. If the attorney has misconduct or reprimands on his or her record – which you can find out at your state’s bar association website – ask about them. In some cases, the infraction may be minor, such as failure to pay bar fees on time. You must decide whether the infraction is significant enough to disturb you.
Remember that you are interviewing the attorney for a job. Treat your meeting as such, a job interview. If you feel as though the attorney isn’t listening to you or isn’t answering your questions, pick a different attorney.
If the attorney makes you uncomfortable in any way, you should choose someone different to represent you. Also consider how well the attorney answered your questions. If s/he hesitated, used too much “legalese,” or didn’t attend to your needs, pick someone else. If more than one attorney has the qualifications you are looking for, you should choose the one that you feel the most comfortable with.
An attorney charging a flat fee will charge one fee (sometimes upfront) for handling an entire matter, regardless of how many hours the matter takes. Some examples of cases that are commonly handled using a flat fee are criminal cases, bankruptcy cases, domestic relations cases (such as divorce or custody matters), and document drafting, such as drafting a will or a trust document. An attorney charging a contingency fee does not collect legal fees from the client unless the attorney recovers money for the client, either through a settlement or a trial. The attorney will receive a percentage of the settlement amount, usually between 30 to 40 percent. Some examples of cases that are commonly handled on a contingency fee basis are personal injury cases, employment discrimination cases, and other types of cases where a large recovery from a corporation or business is expected. Lawyers charging an hourly rate “bill” hours and then charge the client for the amount of hours worked on the client’s matter. Usually, hourly rates are used by businesses and corporations who may be involved in litigation. Additionally, individuals may be charged hourly rates for long or complicated litigation. [8] X Research source
Keep in mind that even with a strict budget, if your case becomes significantly more complicated or takes significantly longer than the attorney originally anticipated, you may need to pay more in legal fees. If you cannot afford the attorney’s fees upfront, ask about potential arrangements such as payment plans. Many attorneys are willing to work with you base on your financial needs. [9] X Research source There are several ways that attorneys can help those on moderate or low incomes find legal counsel. Many firms offer “sliding fees” based on your income, so that you pay however much your income level allows. [10] X Trustworthy Source American Bar Association Leading professional organization of lawyers and law students Go to source You can sometimes even pay in barter, by trading goods or services (e. g. , web design, gardening) for legal counsel. [11] X Research source This is up to the individual attorney.
These conditions should include the expenses you are responsible for, the rate the attorney will be charging and the minimum billable increment. Note: the minimum billable increment should be six minutes, not 15 minutes. [12] X Research source
