Today, there are over 1 million lawyers practicing in America. However, their skills vary, and finding the best lawyer can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
If you’re hiring a lawyer soon, you need to evaluate candidates carefully. If you hire a lawyer that’s unqualified, it might hurt your case rather than help it.
Read on to learn 7 critical questions to ask when hiring an attorney before you make a final decision.
1. Case Involvement
Sometimes the lawyer you find via an advertisement isn’t the person that will handle your case. Make sure that you’re meeting with your actual lawyer during the consultation and not an attorney salesperson.
Also, you should ask if they work with a paralegal, especially if you’re on a tight budget. A lawyer can supervise a paralegal while they do a lot of basic work that must be finished, but for less money.
For example, let’s say that both an attorney and a paralegal can finish a document at the same exact speed. It would make more financial sense to pay the paralegal’s hourly rate instead of the lawyer’s.
Also, make sure the lawyer has a proficient team behind them to make fast edits to documents. That way you won’t end up paying more money for slower work.
2. Areas of Practice
Using a general practice lawyer covers a lot of areas of the law, but not all of them. For example, if you have an upcoming child custody hearing, you don’t want a lawyer that mostly covers patents and trademarks.
Instead, you would want a lawyer that primarily focuses on family law. You should have a clear idea of the attorney’s skill level and its relevancy to your situation before you decide to hire them.
Keep in mind that different areas of law have unique rules and legal guidelines to observe. Successful attorneys must focus on a single area and know it inside and out. You can visit alphaaccidentlawyers.com for an example of ride-share accident experts.
3. Level of Experience
Just because an attorney hasn’t had their license for long doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a chance to represent you. Some of the most competent attorneys tend to be the ones with fewer than 5 years of experience.
That’s because they just spent a lot of time reading the statutes, examining rules, and thoroughly studying the law. New attorneys are usually very aware of every rule and how to follow them.
Some new lawyers might still be continuing their legal education to gain skills, which might give them an edge in court. When you ask about their level of experience, the question should really answer how knowledgeable they are.
Plus, new lawyers are typically less hesitant to ask for help on a case from others at their firm. That might save you money in the long run because paralegals charge less per hour as mentioned before.
4. Evaluation of Goals
Next, ask the attorney if you have realistic goals before you spend money hiring them. There’s no sense in spending your hard-earned money on their services if they aren’t confident they can reach your goals.
On the other hand, a qualified attorney needs to clearly communicate their strategy. Then, they need to give you a good idea about your chances of success in court.
An honest lawyer will let you know if you have unrealistic expectations and supply you with different options. It’s not uncommon for people to spend more money overall if they use a bargain bin attorney because they’re less compelling in court.
Unqualified lawyers chase goals that they know they can’t meet and slow the process down. So, look for a lawyer that oozes confidence but also takes an honest and realistic approach to your case.
5. Relevant Concerns
Asking about any concerns you should have is a critical question to ask potential attorneys. Some cases have alarming facts that can decide the outcome in the courtroom.
Make sure that you are always open and truthful with your lawyer about relevant details. They need to know every detail even if it makes you look bad so that they can reduce any possible negative effects surrounding your case.
You might also want to ask them if they’ve ever received disciplinary action from the legal institution. You can find that information publicly, but asking in person shows that you’re interviewing them and that you want the best candidate.
6. Extra Expenses
If you don’t understand any of the expenses in the retainer agreement, make sure you ask the attorney for help. Even if you win the case and avoid attorney fees, there are many other charges you might discover.
For example, an attorney might charge a few dollars for every page they fax or for photocopies they make. Your case might go on for quite a while, so these small charges can build up to big expenses over time.
You might consider an attorney who feels clients shouldn’t pay for trivial items like copies and faxes. It could be a sign that they value your best interest over taking your money.
7. Response Policies
Some lawyers prioritize cases based on factors like court dates, payment rates, and who hired them first. Make sure you understand their availability before you hire them so that you’re not left stranded.
Sometimes, an attorney might not respond to calls or emails for a few days while they deal with other cases and issues. Just make sure they explain their response policies ahead of time so that you know when to expect case updates.
You might panic if you think your lawyer is ignoring your questions, but you can rest easy if you know it might take them a day or two.
Hiring a Lawyer
After getting answers to all the items on your attorney questionnaire, hiring a lawyer won’t seem daunting. Remember to choose a lawyer that’s honest, realistic, confident, and knowledgeable.
Check out our blog’s other informative categories for more hiring tips and tricks.
