You don’t just need a good lawyer, you need a lawyer who will give you a great experience and make you win. Be it for a business deal, family, or any other personal needs. Technically, you need a lawyer in almost every aspect of your life; to help you handle the paperwork, explain the legal implications of your actions, and represent your interests.
The only way to ascertain the lawyer you are considering to work with is by doing a background check. It helps you get a lawyer you like, one who has a proven success record, and who will provide you reliable services.
This is how to go about doing a background check on your lawyer:
1. Confirm the records
One of the easiest ways to get information about your prospective lawyer is by looking up his records. You need to verify the records on the law school they attended, year of birth, year of graduation, cases handled and success rate, as well as articles and books they have published. This will help you determine the type of lawyer you are working with.
Other additional records you need to check are: Sex offender registry list. Pending Investigations and Malpractices. You can run a Google search on the name of the lawyer. The results will show you any pending investigations and malpractices as recorded in magazines or any media outlets.
2. Speak to previous clients
Talking to previous clients is one of the easiest ways of getting to know more about your lawyer. They will relay to you a first hand experience on how the lawyer treated them as clients. You will also get to understand the procedures of working with the lawyer. It will help you decide if you are willing to keep the lawyer depending on the previous clients’ experience.
Talking to previous clients works like referrals. Most people will only recommend to you professionals they feel treats them well. It is safer to work with lawyers from law groups like Areson Law Group, with a lot of people vouching for them. Click here for recommendations of some of the best lawyers you can rely on.
3. Research online
Just like any other topic, the law is one of the subjects that have a ton of information online. There are several lawyer review websites like lawyers.com you can go through to verify the lawyer’s ratings and to help you set your expectations when working with them. The online space also gives people space to air out their views and experiences. Take into account any information you can get online.
4. Contact the bar association
You need to contact the State Bar Association when concluding your background check. They tend to keep a directory of all the state’s lawyers and their corresponding standings with the bar. They also record any disciplinary or misconduct by the lawyer. Feel free to head to the American Bar Association if you feel there is a need to dig for more information.
Most probably you are wondering what to do once you have the information from the background check. It is not any hectic. If you find any information you feel uncomfortable about or needs clarification, kindly ask the lawyer personally about it. After which you will decide how it affects your relationship, and if you are willing to look past it and keep working together.
Comments 1
Am looking for an attorney to handle wills and any life insurance and estate planning and sign my Power of Attorney.