If there is no lawyer referral service in your city, The Florida Bar's statewide service can locate a lawyer for you. You can call this service toll free at 1-800-342-8011. The statewide service, which operates only in cities where there is no local program, will refer you to an attorney for an initial half-hour consultation for $15.
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Jul 17, 2012 · Find a lawyer by practice area. Start with your legal issue to find the right lawyer for you. Choose an area of law that your issue relates to: ... I am looking to find a lawyer that is licensed in both Michigan and in Florida, and do not know how to go about finding one. Any advice? My situation involves child custody and changing of domicile ...
If there is no lawyer referral service in your city, The Florida Bar's statewide service can locate a lawyer for you. You can call this service toll free at 1-800-342-8011. The statewide service, which operates only in cities where there is no local program, will refer you to an attorney for an initial half-hour consultation for $15.
If there is no lawyer referral service in your city, The Florida Bar’s statewide service can locate a lawyer for you. You can call this service toll-free at 800-342-8011. The statewide service, which operates only in cities where there is no local program, will refer you to an attorney for an initial half-hour consultation for $25.
Lawyer Licensing. Lawyers are licensed by a state agency in each state. That agency can help you to find out if a person has a law license and is permitted to practice in a particular state. Select a state from the list below for the agency in your state. New Hampshire - Call the New Hampshire Bar Association (603-224-6942) to determine if a ...
You’ve been hurt in a car accident. It’s time to draw up a will. The buyer of your home is suggesting some creative financing. A family member has...
Once you have a list of one or more lawyers, call their offices. Briefly explain your situation and ask:· If the lawyer has experience with your ki...
If you aren’t happy with the way the attorney you’ve hired is handling your case, you have the right to dismiss the attorney and find another. You...
If you have questions, call membership records at The Florida Bar at 850-561-5832. If you think the person is not an attorney but is claiming to be one, call The Florida Bar Unlicensed Practice of Law Department at 850-561-5840. Make a careful search for your lawyer; it’s an important decision. Your goal should be to find a lawyer you are ...
Usually, lawyers require an advance payment, often called a retainer, to cover the initial work and court costs to be paid on your behalf. In other matters, you will be billed at the end of the month, or at the completion of the service, for services and disbursements.
Legal aid offices provide advice in some non-criminal cases such as those relating to small money claims for wages; disputes between borrowers and lenders; landlord-tenant problems; and domestic relations matters. Public defender offices handle criminal cases for indigent people.
The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is as true with legal matters as it is with regular medical checkups. Good legal advice is one of the greatest preventative measures a lawyer can provide. It can not only save you money in the long run, but also save you from unpleasant difficulties later.
Every attorney is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. Search legal help based on your legal need and location. Review attorneys and browse their background, expertise, and reviews. Choose an attorney and schedule a consultation.
Consumers are assured credible, transparent lawyer search results based on your needs, so you see only the most relevant attorneys. We are committed to ethical practices that will enhance the protection of the public and improve access to legal services.
Narrow your search by lawyers accepting clients, accepting appointments, offering free initial consultations, having client reviews and endorsements, and who speak languages in addition to English. To drill down even further, search by keyword.
Browse our legal guides and resources covering a variety of topics. Provided as a public service by Michigan attorneys, the guides provide an easy way to research and find answers to your questions before consulting with an attorney.
This online member directory provides basic information about attorneys licensed to practice in Michigan. The State Bar of Michigan (SBM) does not endorse and makes no representations about any attorney or advertiser on this site, or any products or services they offer.
A good lawyer will be able to estimate court costs in a given situation, and whether or not you will be able to obtain court costs from an opposing party in a favorable settlement or judgment. Filing Fees: Courts charge money for people to be able to file lawsuits and other court actions, like divorce and bankruptcy.
Lawyers are also important partners in situations that don’t involve the courtroom, advising clients about their legal rights and obligations for personal or business issues. They are trained to interpret complicated systems of laws and navigate the court system.
If your issue involves going to court, your lawyer will accompany you, and can speak for you. If your legal matter involves mediation or arbitration, your lawyer will negotiate with the opposing party on your behalf. Let's find your lawyer.
A fee agreement, or representation agreement, is a payment agreement between a lawyer and a client. It can consist of several pages, or simply one page outlining the agreement.
Flat Fees: A flat fee means that the lawyer charges one price for each consultation, or for an entire case, no matter how much time or work it takes. Be sure to ask other lawyers for comparable rates if offered a flat fee.
Retainer Fee: A retainer fee is an advance payment to an attorney towards the hourly rate in a specific case. Your attorney will place the retainer fee into an account, and deduct money as work on your case progresses. These are usually non-refundable if you choose to terminate the case early.
Contingency Fees: A contingency fee means that your lawyer only gets paid this fee if there is a favorable result in your case—a court win or a settlement in your favor. Typically, but not always, these fees consist of around 1/3 of the total settlement or judgment.
How do you check to see if an attorney has a valid bar license to practice law in a given state?
All of these directories allow you to search for the attorney by name.
Use the links below to select the state where the attorney practices law. Then go to the state bar site to search the attorney's name or bar number. On many of these directories, you can see if the license has ever been inactive or if the attorney was disciplined for misconduct.
Visit the ABA website. (See Reference 1.) Click on the "Public Resources" menu and scroll down and click on "Lawyer Locator."
Make sure that "Lawyers" is selected in the "Search For" screen at the top of the "Lawyer Locator" section.
Select the jurisdictions where your legal problem arises in the "U.S. State/Canadian Province" window. Hold down the control key to select more than one jurisdiction. The system works best if you select just one jurisdiction under this window.
Select the areas of law that best cover your legal problem (s) under the "Areas of Practice" window. Hold down the control key to select more than one area.
Click on the jurisdictions in which you need the attorneys to be licensed under the "Bar Admissions" window. Hold down the control key to select more than one jurisdiction and try to limit your search to no more than two jurisdictions.
Skip the "Years in Practice" and "Major Memberships" windows and click on "Go." The system will return information on attorneys who meet your search criteria.
There are ethical rules that all lawyers in Michigan have to follow. Your lawyer has to keep you informed about your case, including telling you about any settlement offers that arise. They have a general duty to be competent, which means they can’t take a case if they do not have the skills to handle it. Your lawyer must meet deadlines and explain your case to you in a way that allows you to make informed decisions.
One of the first contacts you will have with your lawyer will be a phone or in-person consultation. Some lawyers do this when you first call them. Others might set an appointment to talk in detail at a later date.
They may also be able to refer you to a pro bono lawyer. A pro bono lawyer is a lawyer who is not paid to take a case. Often, a pro bono lawyer works in private practice (a law firm) and usually charges clients. Sometimes these lawyers will take a case without charging fees as a service to the community.
If there is a conflict of interest, the lawyer cannot represent you. There are many complicated ways a lawyer could have a conflict. Although it is disappointing to hear someone can’t represent you, the best thing to do in this situation is to move on and look for a different lawyer.
Your engagement letter should say how you will be billed and what fees you will have to pay. In addition to paying your lawyer, you might also need to pay other fees in your case. For example, courts charge filing fees and most lawyers have clients pay these fees. You can ask your lawyer for an estimate of these costs.
A fixed fee is a set amount charged for your whole case or a specific part of your case, no matter how many hours it takes. A fixed fee gives certainty about the total cost of the services.
Contingent fees are paid to the lawyer only if they win the case. If you win, the lawyer will get a certain percentage of the money you got in the case. If you lose the case, they do not get paid. In either situation you are still responsible for things like postage costs, filing fees, and other court costs. Since the lawyer only gets paid if you win money in the case, lawyers generally only accept contingency fees in cases that are likely to win enough money from the other side to cover the lawyer’s fees.