Selecting An Attorney

The process of selecting an attorney requires much care and research to ensure that the right decision is made. Finding an attorney that you trust and that has the appropriate background and credentials is essential to a successful outcome for your legal situation, whatever it may be. All attorneys have been well trained in their respective law schools, passed the bar exam, and have been groomed by others in their chosen area of practice. However, in all likelihood there will be numerous choices for an attorney in your geographic location that specializes in the necessary practice area.

In most places attorneys are permitted to advertise in the yellow pages. Their designated area of specialization is often regulated by the Bar Association, which mandates that attorneys complete a certain amount of continuing study in the field of choice in order to be listed under that field when advertising. For instance, an attorney wishing to advertise him or herself as a bankruptcy attorney would, in many states, be required to take on a certain number of hours of additional study in the area of bankruptcy law.

There are plenty of attorney directories that can be found online, as well as sites that rank attorneys by category of practice area. These may be useful tools, but do not put full stock in them. The order in which attorneys are listed in directories may depend on how much the attorney paid to be a part of the directory, while ranking sites can be biased or politically motivated. Use directories and ranking sites to gather information, but not ultimately to make your decision.

The most important consideration when selecting an attorney is should be the comfort level you have with the attorney. Comfort with them as a person, as well as comfort with their level of expertise. Friends or family members may be able to guide you towards an attorney they have worked with before that produced positive results and did a good job communicating with them during the legal process. In fact, if there is an attorney who is referred to you by multiple people that you trust, he or she is a great place to start.

Here are a few important things to consider when selecting an attorney: Has the attorney handled legal situations like this before? Will the attorney provide a free initial consultation? How much does the attorney charge per hour, and what is the hour estimate for the task at hand? Does the attorney have references? Does the attorney have any previous ethics violations? What honors has the attorney received, and what associations does the attorney belong to? Has the attorney ever been published?