3 Important Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Lawyer

Do you have legal issues of some kind? Have you been thinking about hiring a lawyer to aid you in whatever needs to be done? Whether the need is civil or criminal, being in a situation where you require legal assistance is rarely a good thing. This isn't due to the fault of any lawyers involved but is, instead, due to the situation itself. Fortunately, hiring a lawyer doesn't have to be difficult. Asking the right questions will help to ensure that you have the best lawyer for your situation. Some things that you need to ask during the initial consultation include:

Who will be handling my case? The person you talk to first isn't necessarily going to be the one who handles your case. In some law firms, less experienced lawyers and paralegals will do most of the work but will be checked over by the senior lawyer or lawyers on a regular basis. In other law firms, the lawyer who talks to you will do most of the work but will hand off some things to a paralegal or other office assistant. Neither of these options is "better" or "worse" than the other, but it's still good to know who will be handling what.

What are your fees? If some or most of your case's paperwork is going to be completed by paralegals or junior lawyers, the fees that you pay should not be the same as if everything were being handled by a more senior lawyer. Before you agree to hire anyone, make sure to get a list of fees in writing. You may also want to ask for an estimate of costs based on how long similar cases that the firm had handled in the past. They may only be able to give you a broad range or a starting figure, but you should still be able to get an idea as to what it will wind up costing you once everything is over.

How long will this take? Every case is different, and there are a lot of variables. However, experienced lawyers should be able to give you an estimate based on their knowledge of the current court situation and past cases that they've handled. While the estimated time is just an estimate, it will still help you to determine whether you want to go through with everything or if you want to take a settlement offer that is slightly less favorable to you in exchange for a quicker resolution.

If you have more questions about the process, contact a local law firm like Haskin & Associates LLC.

Share