Hiring a lawyer is definitely not an easy thing to do, especially if you are ready to take thousands of dollars out of your pocket. Whatever your need, a good lawyer can spell the difference between a won trial and a lost one. Thus, it is imperative to be aware of some criteria before selecting a good lawyer for your needs.
Here are 4 imperative things you need to be aware of before hiring an attorney to help you in court.
- How Much It Costs
Most attorneys have hidden fees. You need to know that these fees can vary substantially from one attorney to the other. For instance, hiring a lawyer to defend you of a felony criminal charge costs much more than hiring one to fight a standard traffic ticket.
Even in the same legal areas, the cost of lawyers can vary. For example, a top attorney might ask you for more than $5,000 in fees for a family law case, while a less experienced one might ask you for only $800. Based on your needs and preferences, you need to find out how much the lawyer you want to hire will cost.
- Personality
Next on, you need to find out more about the personality of an attorney. It is imperative to hire a lawyer you are comfortable working with. While some lawyers are more aggressive, others prefer to bring proof rather than become obnoxious bulldogs in court. Always select a lawyer that matches your personality.
- Reputation & Experience
These are two aspects you definitely need to know about an attorney before hiring him. Do other attorneys respect him? Do the judges have confidence in him? How many years of experience and solved cases does he have in his record? Can he get the results you expect? Study the website, ask for recommendations and conduct a thorough research online to find all this precious information.
- Availability
Lastly, you need to know is the law representative you want to hire is available to you right away. Make sure that the lawyer you choose and his firm can dedicate time to your case. It makes no sense to hire the best attorney in town if your case is being postponed for months.