1Use Personal Referrals to Find a Good Lawyer

One of the easiest ways to come up with the name of a good lawyer who can help you out with your case is to approach trusted people who’ve used such legal services before. In this regard you have to approach several persons and ask them who their lawyers were and what they thought of their services. Doing so will definitely give you a list of names that you can now follow up on in your quest to select the best. Though such referrals do help out a lot, it is ill-advised to decide on a certain name just because the description you were given seemed attractive. The right thing to do is to visit the said lawyer and present your case and from the ensuing discussion make a personal judgement as to whether you want to work with him/her, or not. Referrals may lead you to great lawyers but they may prove to be inappropriate for your situation, e.g., being referred to a criminal lawyer when you actually need a divorce lawyer, etc.

2Make Use of Business Referrals to Find a Good Lawyer

There are businesses whose line of work involves providing various services to legal practitioners and this certainly puts them in a great position to recommend lawyers that you can approach. Say you require services in business law or possibly in matters regarding personal injury – you can get good leads by inquiring with your banker and insurance agent respectively because they do get into contact with relevant lawyers quite frequently and will as such be well placed to offer you good advice.

3Use Information from Lawyer Referral Services to Find a Good Lawyer

Using lawyer referral services can prove to be quite helpful as well although you must realize that such sources greatly vary in the quality of listing criteria they use; all these services need to have been approved by their respective state bar associations, though. One lawyer referral service may have its screening criteria as listing attorneys who have certain qualifications and years of working experience, while another may have totally different listing considerations. As such, before opting to use such a service it is prudent to inquire what the criteria and qualifications used for listing the lawyers therein are and how well the vetting and screening process is done. The information you get will only be good in providing insights into a given lawyer’s qualifications but not his/her working philosophy. It is only upon meeting these lawyers in person that you can know how appropriate or not they will be for you.

4Consider Using Specialist Lawyer Services to Find a Good Lawyer

Depending on your circumstances it may prove really appropriate to seek the services of an attorney who has concise knowledge about a particular field, e.g., software design matters or employee discrimination issues. With such a professional in your corner, it is quite possible that his/her thorough understanding of the legal context will be the basis for your success thus making for a sound investment. This is with regard to the fact that such lawyers services tend to be slightly more expensive compared to what ‘general practitioners’ charge.

5A List of Assorted Lawyer Search Sources...

The following are some of the other search places you can consider as you seek attorney services:

• When looking for business lawyers you can make inquiries with your local or state chamber of commerce office.
• You can visit your local library and read through the available resources to identify any helpful leads.
• Alternatively you can browse through various internet legal directories to find the names of relevant lawyers in your locale.
• You can consult with directors of non-profit groups whose activities are related to the legal matter you need to address – most likely they will know the names of a few good lawyers.
• You can also consult with various support groups members as such people are likely to know a number of useful attorneys.
• Approaching your local legal aid office can see you qualify for representation at low cost or totally free of charge.
• Visiting local law schools can prove to be quite useful as well, though any legal services offered tend to be quite limited.

6After Narrowing Down Your List Get to the Interviewing Stage...

The next step after making a shortlist of potential lawyers is to request for a face-to-face meeting with each of them. It is advisable to present these lawyers with an outline of your needs prior to meeting them; many appreciate such arrangements and will in response spare half an hour or so to meet you at no cost. What are the qualities you should look for during these discussions?

• A lawyer’s willingness to work on your case – This really depends on your reason for seeking legal assistance but generally a good lawyer will be willing to share information on the various legal procedures and principles you need to be aware of so that you can be able to handle your situation personally to some extent. On the contrary, some attorneys may not be willing to offer advice or information let alone their representation services without you paying their hourly rates.
• Promptness in communication – Many lawyers are unfortunately known to have some level of communication lethargy in that getting in touch with them to inquire about the progress of your legal matter can be quite frustrating. It is therefore very prudent to ask how long you can expect the correspondence intervals between yourselves to last.
• Assess the personality – Always look for an attorney whose personality matches your own such that the both of you will be comfortable with each other and therefore form a fitting lawyer-client relationship. The personality you desire should be complemented by adequate qualifications, experience and accessibility.