When a person chooses a lawyer many times they do so the same way they choose a lot of services. Convenience is important, as is price, and a multitude of other variables come in to play. A more sophisticated consumer may search the web and do research on which questions to ask a lawyer.
Usually clients launch right into their story. They often want to get things off their chest, and the lawyer is more like a therapist at that point. However, clients often do not know which facts are important and which facts are not. That is why your lawyer will almost certainly interrupt you and ask specific questions, which you need to have specific answers to.
The single most important question is this: what do you want the lawyer to do for you?
Your attorney is there to solve your problem. The question is, can he or she do it and are they the right person for the job?
Another important thing to examine is whether they know what they are talking about. Lawyers are experts at talking. They can sell water by the river and most people won’t know the difference. Often, they will hide this lack of knowledge behind a lot of jargon or simply refer to their decades of experience. The problem is, they may be a lousy lawyer, and a lousy lawyer with decades of experience. They may even have been disciplined by the state bar for ripping off clients or failing to do their job. Did you know that most attorneys who commit malpractice have more than ten years experience?
Personality is important. If you aren’t connecting with your lawyer, what makes you think the the police, the judge, the jury, and all the other people involved in the case will? As ridiculous as it sounds, it matters how you feel about your lawyer.
Does your lawyer have time for your case? Does he or she even know who you are or what your case is about when you call? Do they know what is going on? Do they return your calls?
The single most common complaint about lawyers is that they do not return telephone calls. Ask yourself if you want to pay $300 an hour to someone who won’t return your calls.
Probably the best way to choose a lawyer is to get a referral from a friend or better yet, another lawyer who can recommend you someone.
