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What to Look for and What to Avoid When Selecting an Attorney

Attorneys come in all varieties. There are attorneys who practice a wide range of fields while there are others who specialize in just one or two. The attorney who specializes in one field is what you might call a “specialist”, and for good reason. If you do something for 8+ hours per day, 40+ hours per week, over many years, you become an expert in that thing. Would you rather have that person represent you and your case or the person who dabbles in the field?

An attorney is usually a well-motivated person. They worked hard to get through law school and now they are working just as hard for their clients. At least that is what you expect. Be careful when selecting an attorney who practices law part time or seems to have “checked out”. They may not be able to provide the resources or time you deserve.

Experience

An attorney enters the legal world after having passed the bar exam and is ready to take on the world. They are usually relatively young and have not tried cases themselves. As with any person just starting off in a field, they are apt to make mistakes. The good thing about an attorney, however, is that they have been in training for years. It’s a bit different from the person helping you load your moving truck who may have started last week.

Look for an attorney with at least several years practicing law. Make sure they have tried a number of cases before you agree to work with them. You can ask them flat out if you like. Something like “Hey, you look pretty young. Have you ever tried a case before?”. If they say no or that they have tried only one or two cases, it is perfectly within your rights to seek help elsewhere.

The TV Star Attorney

You have doubt seen the attorney who buys up all the local or national advertising to the point where you can’t go a day without hearing from them. They do this because they understand name and brand recognition matters. If you get injured out of the blue one day and need an attorney, your mind will inevitably go to the name you have heard 1000 times on the radio.

It’s worth your time to do a little digging. Use Google reviews to see how people feel about this famous attorney. Do that have legitimate positive reviews? Do people discuss working with that actual attorney in the reviews? Or was some junior partner assigned to their case? These are things worth knowing before selecting your attorney.