There are over 19,521 lawyers employed in the United States. So if you need to hire a lawyer, you can easily find one. However, not every lawyer you can find will be the best lawyer for you.
Before you hire a lawyer, you need to ask him or her several questions. Use their answers to decide if you want his or her legal help. Read on to learn three important questions you should ask your lawyer.
1. What Case Types Have You Handled?
Like doctors, lawyers have specialties. Most lawyers only take on cases that involve a section of the law. In this way, they can become experts on this section and use it most effectively.
What Is Your Case?
This is why you should hire an attorney that has experience with your type of case. If they know the laws by heart, they won’t waste time looking them up. They should be able to wrap up your case quickly.
In sum, if your case involves a workplace accident, you should hire a workplace accident attorney. If your case involves a car accident, you need a car accident lawyer (here’s a page on car accident lawyer services if you need this).
2. How Will I Pay You?
Different lawyers offer different fee structures. It’s important to ask your lawyer how they expect you to pay them. You don’t want to get a bill that you can’t pay.
Here are some examples of lawyer fee structures.
Contingency Fee
If a lawyer asks for a contingency fee, you need to pay them a percentage of the recovery. This is the money a lawyer “wins” a client in a lawsuit.
Hourly Fee
In cases where the client won’t receive a recovery, the lawyer will usually ask for an hourly fee. The client will pay for every hour of work the lawyer puts in for them.
Don’t worry if this fee is too much for you to pay all at once. Many lawyers will put you on a monthly payment plan if you ask.
3. Can I See Your License?
Your lawyer should be licensed. If they are, they’ll be more than happy to give you their license number. With this, you can look up many things about them.
State Agency
Each U.S. state has a bar association. You should be able to look up the license number of the lawyer you’re thinking of hiring. Doing so will bring up a page that lists information about a lawyer.
You can learn about a lawyer’s current standing, the law firm they work with, etc.
Hire a Lawyer With These Tips
These tips will get you that much closer to hiring the best lawyer for your case. When you find them, it’s near guaranteed that you’ll win.
But if you want more advice before you hire a lawyer, consider reading our other articles. You’ll find plenty of advice that can help you get the legal help you need. Check them out!
