One will seek the assistance of a lawyer or attorney at some point in their lifetime. When you are deciding on the lawyer to settle on, you are suggested to do your research and do diligence ahead of time. There are some questions you are required to ask the lawyer or any staff person whom you trust with their judgment before you have omitted yourself to a consultation. The answers lawyers will have to your questions will help you choose between the two or three you wish to interview and retain. You can do this in one preliminary telephone conversation where you ask the questions in brief such as the following:
- Will the lawyer you settle on provide a free consultation for the initial conversation on this matter that is in question?
- For how long has the lawyer been in practice and how often do they work?
- How many cases has the lawyer handled that are similar to yours? Choose a lawyer who is experienced in handling the cases such as yours as this will make it make them more efficient and knowledgeable and this will save you a lot of money.
- Can the particular lawyer provide you with any references, such as a list of the trust officers in the banks, the attorneys or the clients that they have worked with?
- Has the attorney worked before by representing the special interest groups such as the case of a senior citizen group case or a case of the nursing homes?
- Is there any type of fee arrangement that the lawyer requires and are this fees negotiable in any way?
- Does the lawyer require you to bring anything or any type of information to the initial consultations?
It does not matter if you are seeking a lawyer for only a one-time case or if he or she is to help you with a variety of matters over a period of years, you will still need to be sharing details of your life and therefore you will be relying upon this person’s expertise and the advice. You need to know this person will be acting on your behalf so it is critical you are able to feel comfortable with the attorney and have complete confidence that he or she will hear about your concerns in the atmosphere of complete and mutual respect. Having a personal interview is an absolutely reliable way of making this judgment.
Make sure you go in prepared to the interview with a brief summary of your case as well as a list of questions that you would like to ask the lawyer. The purpose of having this interview is to help you decide if the attorney has the necessary experience that will work in your favor if you hire them. You should be comfortable with the payment arrangement before you sign any contracts that he or she hands you. The interview should be consise and not lengthy as you are required to approach the interview in a businesslike manner and, furthermore, it is free. Come prepared to take some short notes and to listen carefully to what the attorney is going to say and most importantly take note of the office traffic and work flow. Plan to keep following up your interview with a few calls and also make sure you schedule other interview with other attorneys to see who according to you is well suited for the job.
Written by Kellie Bertels, an attorney at Bandre, Hunt and Snider in Jefferson City, MO. Bandre, Hunt and Snider are the best attorneys Jefferson City MO have to offer.