When confronted with a legal ordeal, many individuals don’t have the faintest clue where to start when finding an attorney. Both attorneys and laws may seem overwhelming and foreign. Selecting the right attorney doesn’t have to be complicated; equip yourself with information about attorneys and how they can help. Following these three steps, you’ll quickly find an ideal lawyer for your case.
Step 1: What’s Your Problem or Issue?
Much like doctors specialize in certain areas of medicine, lawyers typically focus their practice on a few parts of the law. This benefits clients as you will have an attorney with the necessary experience and wisdom to give sound advice and get your job done quickly. To begin your quest for a lawyer, identify which legal “practice area” best suits the nature of your predicament or difficulty.
If you’re considering a legal career, here are some of the most popular practice areas to explore:
- Estate planning is a necessary part of life – considering and creating wills, trusts, guardianships, powers of attorney, and other issues facing the elderly can help ensure your wishes are carried out in the future.
- As a business owner, you must understand the fundamentals of law relating to your company. This includes forming a structure for your venture, drafting and executing contracts between yourself and other parties, and resolving legal disputes.
- Reinforce your brand and protect your creative works by acquiring trademarks, copyrights, and patents for your intellectual property.
- Family law encompasses various legal matters, including divorces, adoptions, and other related areas.
- Bankruptcy
- Anything concerning the interaction between employers and employees, such as labor and employment law, is of utmost importance.
- Experienced in navigating real estate law, I specialize in handling property sales, leases, and disputes.
When writing down your particular concerns, the more detailed you can be, the better. For example, if you decide to go with an estate planning lawyer, opt for someone with prior experience constructing plans concerning family business operations. If a business attorney is necessary, it would be beneficial to search for one that regularly deals with other customers in your market.
Step 2: Transactional Attorney or Litigator?
The next step in your search for an attorney is to identify which type best suits your needs – litigators and transactional attorneys differ significantly in their legal services.
Litigators are skilled at handling court cases, such as divorce or criminal charges. They will be well-versed in prosecuting or defending clients inside a courtroom and can advocate for them before a judge and jury.
Transactional attorneys focus on the legalities of contracts, transactions, and other documents. Just like an accountant helps you with your taxes, transactional lawyers offer advice on business agreements or mergers. These experts can also represent either side in a dispute that arises from contractual arrangements. Transactional attorneys strive to protect their client’s interests by providing them with the best legal counsel possible and safeguarding against any potential risks of entering into involved agreements.
Step 3: Searching for and Screening Attorneys
When you have identified the type of legal counsel to meet your requirements, it’s time to start searching. Most city and county bar associations feature online directories and attorney referral services that can help you with your pursuit. If you are searching for the best employment law firm, consider asking friends or colleagues if they have any referrals.
Additionally, a web search using terms such as “seek the advice of an employment solicitor” can unveil different solutions that could be compatible with your case. After researching, you should feel confident in finding the perfect fit!
Step 4: Decide Whether to Hire an Attorney and Which One
Following your consultations, you may choose to retain one of the attorneys or realize that further research is necessary before doing so. You could also receive all the information required to settle a dispute or decide whether using an online legal service provider would be more cost-efficient. It’s up to you – do thorough research and make the best decision for yourself!
