Knowing the different factors you need to take into consideration before hiring an attorney is quite important. Hiring an attorney can cost an arm and a leg, and obviously, it would not be beneficial to hire one when you are not sure that they will do their best to get you what you want.
These factors will act as your checklist for any attorney to find out if they are the right person to be your legal representative, whatever the case may be.
Purpose
Before you hire an attorney, you need to know why you need one in the first place. Lawyers, just like doctors, have various specializations. Some attorneys specialize in commercial law, while others in criminal law. If you take the locals in Louisiana, for example, they know how important it is to find a credible lawyer, especially if it comes to heavy cases such as a criminal case. It makes sense that if you need a criminal defense attorney in Shreveport you should not hire a personal injury attorney and vice versa. Of course, some attorneys practice all kinds of law, but, oftentimes, specialized attorneys have a higher chance of winning cases in their specialized field.
Objectivity
This is essential. If you need an attorney, you need to ensure that they have no ties to the other party. Objectivity is one of the traits that you should be looking for when you set out to find an attorney to represent you in court. You might think that, because of the nature of the job, all attorneys are objective. Unfortunately, that is not true. The attorney you hire should have no ties to the other party. This is imperative because if a lawyer has such ties, it creates a conflict of interest; since the lawyer won’t be fully invested into representing you well, the chances of you winning the case decrease exponentially.
Experience
An attorney who just started can be great, but there is still a risk because of how green they still are. The more experience an attorney has in the field, the easier it will be for you to judge whether they will help you or not. Needless to say, the more experience an attorney has, the more qualified they are going to be.
Professionalism
This is another trait that you need in an attorney, you want to hire. Professionalism covers a range of things that an attorney needs to have, such as being punctual and having the right attitude. Believe it or not, impressions are important in court, so if your attorney is late, or seems unprepared, chances are he will not be taken seriously in court.
Reviews
Nowadays, you can find reviews for just about anything online. You can use that to your advantage when looking for an attorney. You can look for reviews written by customers who needed his or her services in the past. The more recent the reviews you find are, the more insight you will have regarding whether the attorney is the right one for you.
Location
The location of an attorney says a lot about them. If their office is in a good part of the city, then they are successful, and they have lots of experience. However, if they are in a rundown place, then they might not be as experienced.
If you use this checklist whenever you want an attorney, your chances of the ruling going in your favor is much higher. Choosing the right attorney is the hardest and most critical step to win any case.
Comments 1
You made a good point that punctuality is one of the most important traits to look for when hiring a criminal defense attorney. A friend of mine recently was able to pay bail after being detained to to illegal possession of firearms. Before his hearing, I hope I can find him a good lawyer that can represent him well.