By Consultantsreview Team
There are many reasons why one needs an attorney. Whether you’re thinking of getting a divorce, demanding compensation from an injury, or drawing up a will, there are many ways in which a lawyer can help you tackle your legal problems.
A lawyer canrepresent your interests in court,whether you’reaccused of a felony or filing a case as the aggrieved party. They are bound to defend you tooth and nail, once they’ve decided to take your case and defend you in court.
Choosing A Legal Counsel
While the internet may be useful to answer most of your curiosity-driven legal questions, it’s always best to consult an attorneyto know how to proceedand go about the legal process. Fortunately, you can visit firms online, like HopkinsRoden.com, and contact a competent lawyer without much hassle. But if you want to make sure that you are contacting the right firm or counsel, you must take note of the following tips:
To be able to determine the kind of lawyer you need, you must first identify your legal problem.
Once you’ve decided to take your issues further, access online and offline resources to come up with your three best choices. This is a critical step because choosing the wrong lawyer can cost you thousands in legal fees for nothing. If the search is too overwhelming, you can resort to your personal contacts and ask for recommendations.
Once you’ve found a roster of legal professionals, pick a few and interact with them online for a few questions. Then, you can start researching about your prospective attorney for their credentials, qualifications, and client reviews. Take the last one with a grain of salt, though, as they could be paid testimonials. Either way, dig deeper and check your State Bar’s website to know more about your prospective counsel.
Most lawyers would only specialize in a certain field of practice. Again, it is best to identify your issue to know what kind of lawyer would you need to represent your interests. Here’s a list of the different specializations that a lawyer may be practicing:
All this information may seem overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time getting legal services. So, aside from specialization, here are some other factors you need to consider before choosing a legal counsel.
In order to come up with an informed decision, you may ask your lawyer the following questions during your first interaction:
Once you have chosen a lawyer to represent your case, here’s what you need to do before a face-to-face visit or consultation:
5 Things To Do Before Visiting Your Chosen Lawyer
No matter what kind of case you're facing, an attorney will always look for basic documents that can help bring your case together. For instance, if you’re planning to take legal action for a personal injury case borne out of a road accident, you need copies of the police report, insurance claims, receipts of medical bills, and the complete details of the other driver.
It’s best to arrange the documents in chronological order for easier access. Don’t forget to make copies of the original documents and keep everything in a safe place. Your counsel may require you to take the original documents with you, so have them ready.
For convenience, it’s best to have all the documents scanned so you can have an electronic copy. This can be very handy, especially if you’re allowed or requested to send documents via email. If you’re not sure which documents are needed, bring them to your lawyer anyway.Otherwise, you can ask the law firm’s secretary for a checklist of documents you need to prepare to make sure you don’t miss anything.
To have a bit of knowledge about your legal issue(s) and in order to come up with the right questions to ask your attorney, it’s best to research the elements of your specific concerns. It may be hard, especially if you don’t have a legal background.
With patience and problem-solving skills, as well as attention to detail, you can understand more about your case.
For instance, in a workplace discrimination case, there are a few elements that you need to prove before the courts. It must be shown that the complainant is a member of a marginalized or protected class and has good standing in the workplace. The complainant alsohas to prove that there are clear elements of discrimination; that her or his promotion was bypassed for reasons that are not based on skill and competence. Knowing these elements may help you gather and store evidence that will help your lawyer strengthen the claim.
There are two ways how you can discuss matters efficiently with your lawyers. First, you can do it by discussing one element at a time, and elaborating the instances that strengthen your claims. Second, you can prepare a timeline or a chronology of events that transpired regarding your case.
Some people may be comfortable discussing chronologically, being that they can convey their thoughts better that way. Having the chronological arrangement of your documents makes discussions centered around the case easier—especially for a layperson.
Most importantly, try to be objective and truthful in discussing the issues. Include the names of the persons involved in an event for a specific date. This is essentialso that the person may easily be identified as a potential witness and called to the stand, if necessary.
After preparing your discussion notes, write down the questions you have about the case. Ask your counsel what are the legal options available, and the advantages as well as disadvantages for each legal remedy.
Your counsel may have questions that may seem a bit personal. This includes your financial situation, family set-up, previous convictions or charges, and so on. These factors are important in the overall assessment of your case and your capacity to push through with your complaints.
Filing a case before the court takes time and financial strains. You’d have to appear in court, pay lawyer’s fees, court fees, and other penalties. Even a simple felony such as driving under influence (DUI) can cost youthousands for towing and storage fees, rental fees, and other penalties.
After assessing the elements of your case and your financialcapacity,your lawyer may recommend that you don’t file a lawsuit but explore other remedies such as settlement negotiations or bargaining. This way, you may be able to demand compensation without going into a full-blown trial, which takes more time and entails huge costs.
If you believe you have a valid claim and are prepared for a potentially tedious and costly legal fight, ask your legal counsel for the estimated costs. Don’t worry if you can’t afford the costs upfront, as some lawyers offer payment plans.
Some lawyers, especially in personal injury cases and workmen’s compensation cases, accept contingency fees. This means that you don’t have to pay your lawyer upfront, but he or she will get a certain percentage of the total amount of compensation that the court will grant (if you win the case).
Final Thoughts
The law is complex and being embroiled in a legal issue, whether as a defendant or a complainant, can be very stressful. A court battle can drain you—and even your loved ones—mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. Hence,the best way to protect your interests and achieve justice is to choose the best lawyer who can represent your case.
You don’t have to rely on lawyers with impressive backgrounds and credentials, you just have to choose someone who is familiar with the concepts and processes involved in the kind of legal trouble that you have. Lawyers will typically have a specialization, and the more experience they have, the better chances for them to defend you competently.
Choosing the best lawyer sometimes does not rely on impressive qualifications. In the end,communication is key in establishing a good relationship with your lawyer. Honest and open communication allows the lawyer to defend your case better and win the legal battle.