If you’ve decided to find a lawyer to help you with your legal matter, you may be wondering where to begin to find the best lawyer to help you out. Did you know there are approximately 26,000 lawyers currently practicing law in Minnesota? Yeah, that’s a lot! So, how do you wade through all the potential candidates to find the right lawyer for you?
The best way to find the right lawyer for you is by asking other lawyers or people who know or have worked with lawyers. Why? Because lawyers know who the best lawyers are in their respective fields. We observe our colleagues and see who is doing well, who is getting good word-of-mouth, who is referring clients to whom, and who is establishing themselves as experts in their specific field. Likewise, we hear about the lawyers who aren’t making such a good name for themselves, who have had clients or other lawyers complain about their work, who miss deadlines, or who fail to follow through for their clients. A good lawyer in any field can steer you toward the right lawyer for the legal problem you have. But don’t be surprised if the lawyer you contact says they can’t help you, but they know someone who can. Law is becoming an increasingly specialized practice and most lawyers only practice in a very small area of the law. If your legal problem falls outside that area, then they’ll refer you to someone else. And that’s a good thing because you may not want to hire a lawyer who doesn’t have a lot of experience in your particular area.
If you don’t already know a lawyer you can ask for a referral, talk to someone you know who has worked with a lawyer. Do you have a financial advisor or accountant? I’ll bet they know some lawyers. Know a friend or family member who just went through a divorce? They know a lawyer. If you know someone who has been through a similar situation and worked with a lawyer who they liked, that’s great, you might be able to use their lawyer. Or, if it wasn’t a similar situation, you might still want to talk to their lawyer and see who they would recommend. Again, lawyers are the best source of recommendations.
Even though I recommend talking to people you know first, I’ll be honest: Most of my clients find me online. When you’re looking for any kind of product or service these days, where does everyone go first? The internet. And the internet can be a great way to find an attorney, too. You can start by looking at attorneys near where you live, especially if you prefer to meet with your attorney face to face in their office. Or, you can cast an even wider net. Look for attorneys with expertise in your particular legal problem. Again, lawyers are specialists not generalists, so someone who handles a lot of criminal matters is probably not the right person to help you draft your will, even if they have great reviews. Don’t just put “lawyer” in a search engine, but search for keywords that are relevant to your situation like “probate” or “will” or “trust.” When you find an attorney who fits your criteria, check out their website and read a little about their background, education, and experience. If they have a blog, see what they write about — does it sound relevant to your case or concerns? Do they sound like they have experience in the questions you need help with? And crucially, are they licensed to practice in your state?
Once you decide to contact an attorney to get help, be sure to ask them lots of questions. Find out how much they charge and what they estimate the total cost will be to help you. Some lawyers are very reluctant to give you an estimate. They may charge by the hour and they aren’t sure how long it will take them, so they avoid this question. This makes sense in litigation matters that often are extremely unpredictable and expensive, but for anything else, a lawyer should be able to give you a reasonable price range so that you can plan and budget. A good lawyer is not cheap, so this is a big investment for you and the lawyer should understand and respect that. Also, ask about how they operate. Do they have staff that does the majority of the work of communicating with you or will the lawyer communicate with you directly? How long do they expect to take in resolving your legal problem? What will they need from you? What are the steps involved? Finally, I think it’s also a good idea to ask for client testimonials or references. A lot of lawyers put these on their websites or they may have reviews on other websites like Google or Avvo. But if you didn’t see any reviews of the lawyer, it’s a good idea to ask for references, and the lawyer shouldn’t be offended. Frankly, no one has ever asked this of me, but if they did I would think they were super smart. Remember, this is a big investment, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and get lots of information about a lawyer who you’re thinking about working with.
So, key takeaways if you’re looking for the right lawyer for you:
(1) Ask other lawyers;
(2) Ask friends, family members, or other professionals who you work with for recommendations;
(3) Search online, review websites, and ask lots of questions.
And, if you start working with a lawyer and it doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to tell the lawyer you hired that you want to move on (unless you’re going to trial tomorrow, in which case, it’s probably too late for that!). This happens for lots of reasons and it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the lawyer or with you but just that something in the relationship isn’t working out. Go back through the steps I listed above and try again. Good luck, and feel free to contact me if you need help!
