Your average lawyer rakes in just over 122k per year. That may sound like a lot but when you consider the number of hours most lawyers work, their money may not boil down to as much as meets the eye.
Why are lawyers working so much? Because people like you run into legal trouble every day that requires their expertise. Since you’re reading this post, we’re guessing that you’re actively managing a legal situation and wondering what the process of hiring a lawyer looks like.
After all, There are a lot of lawyers out there. Knowing how to locate a handful of prospects and select the right one could mean the difference between a favorable or unfavorable verdict.
Keep reading to take in our top tips on hiring legal professionals!
Don’t Hire Under Duress
Most people that embark on the journey of hiring a lawyer do so because they’re facing an imminent legal threat. It’s best to avoid that, if possible.
Hiring a lawyer under duress will impede your ability to weigh candidates with the level of scrutiny you should. It makes it so the first person that offers their services may be the person you have to hire because you need someone to defend you immediately.
Optimally, you’d be proactive in interviewing and selecting an attorney you can keep in your phone book so bringing on quality legal help is always just a phone call away.
Talk to Friends and Family
Finding an attorney to interview can be a challenge given the volume of legal practitioners in some areas. One of the best places to start when it comes to building your short-list of prospects is talking to friends and family.
Nobody is going to give you quite as good a referral as someone you love. Special people in your life know that if they point you in the wrong direction, they’ll be partially liable for your negative experience.
With that pressure and mutual respect in place, if someone notable in your life has a lawyer suggestion for you, take it.
Look Over Online Reviews
Just about every guide to hiring a lawyer will make some mention of online reviews. Online reviews are aggregations of consumer feedback that live on sites like Yelp or Google. They can give you instant insight into whether or not a particular attorney is loved by their clients or loathed.
Online reviews aren’t everything when it comes to hiring a lawyer. Several great lawyers don’t have many if any online reviews.
We advocate for using reviews as “icing on the cake” when building or refining your legal prospects.
Meet With Lawyers in Person
When your short-list is in a good place, your next step in hiring a lawyer will be to meet with legal help in person. That means reaching out to a lawyer, scheduling time for a consultation, and showing up.
Make sure you have questions in mind when you go into a consult and are prepared to quickly pitch the attorney you’re meeting on your situation. Most consults are free and time is money so the better prepared you are, the more value you will get out of your discussion.
Consider Their Interest
Interest in your case is a very important thing when hiring a lawyer. Several attorneys will take on as many cases as they can get their hands on and then not prioritize low-paying, uninteresting cases.
If you fall in that bargain barrel case range, you may have a hard time getting the legal defense you need.
It can be hard to gauge case interest when meeting with a lawyer since very few will tell you that your case isn’t a priority. To make an inference, consider how engaged your legal pro seems when discussing your case with you. Also, see if you can gain insight into what their current caseload looks like.
The more cases they’re working on, the less likely they’ll be servicing yours.
Understand Fees
You’ve fallen in love with a lawyer, appreciate their outlook on your case, and want to hire them. Before you sign any documentation that’s related to them representing you, understand fee structures.
Some lawyers charge hourly and will require a retainer (deposit) up-front to get started working. As you can see here, other lawyers work on contingency, meaning they’ll work for free and pay themselves from the earnings they pull from your case.
Dive into your attorney’s fee structures and ask educated questions so you’re not caught off guard down the line and left unable to pay to get your case serviced through to completion.
Go With Your Gut
Your gut is a powerful tool when you’re about to make your final legal selection. Ask yourself, who do you feel most comfortable speaking to? Who makes you feel safest regarding your future?
Lawyers that tick those boxes of making you feel assured are worth bringing on. And if they don’t work out in the long run, you should always have the ability to seek other services.
Hiring a Lawyer Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
The prospect of hiring a lawyer, for many, seems like a daunting one. By following our steps to find, vet, and sign a legal professional though, we’re confident you’ll be able to find the perfect legal confidant in no time!
Need more insight on hiring a lawyer cost, hiring a lawyer without money, and other similar questions? If you do, we welcome you to explore additional content on our blog.