Apr 09, 2015 · Please answer a few questions to help us match you with attorneys in your area. Select Your Legal Issue. Select Your Legal Issue. Airplane Business Transactions. Auto Accident. Aviation Accidents. Bankruptcy. Child Custody. Child Support.
Jul 16, 2021 · A good lawyer will guide you through the legal process, explaining things in words that normal people use, not in “lawyer speak.” As a professor of legal writing at FSU College of Law, I encouraged law students to use “Plain English” whenever possible.
Some lawyers are available for emergencies 24/12. Others may not be. It would help if you asked the lawyer what their availability is like. These are just a few questions that you should ask your potential lawyer. By asking these questions, you will better understand whether or not this is the right attorney for you.
Answer (1 of 7): I speak carefully and precisely, both when I am practicing law and in my personal life. My wife recently used the term “formal” to describe my speaking - a term that had not previously crossed my mind, but I am confident that her characterization is correct. I …
Getting a lawyer with the right legal background is essential, but it is also important to know whether your attorney has experience with the judges who will likely preside over your case. If yours is a criminal matter, it is important to know if your lawyer knows the local prosecutors. This courtroom experience can greatly enhance your lawyer’s ability to evaluate the likely outcomes in your case and give you advice that you can rely on.
You should feel comfortable from the beginning of your attorney-client relationship that you will be able to have regular communications with your counsel. Make sure that you exchange contact information and agree on the ways that you will stay in touch.
Attorneys in every state have an ethical obligation to advise you of any conflict of interest. Still, you should ask the question. If the lawyer’s representation of prior or existing clients would limit the attorney’s ability to represent you, there is likely a conflict. For example, if you want to sue a hospital that the potential lawyer regularly ...
In civil cases, your lawyer might propose mediation , a settlement negotiation process involving a neutral third-party. Other times, arbitration might be an option. Arbitration— using a private service to adjudicate a dispute—is a less formal, less costly, and faster way of getting a decision in some civil matters.
Your lawyer can often save you money by delegating routine tasks to firm employees who charge a lower hourly rate. However, your lawyer should be involved in all key aspects and decisions of your case, or should explain to you why a colleague can handle some important part of the matter just as well.
In cases where you are suing for monetary damages, the lawyer may represent you for a “contingency fee.”. This means the attorney gets paid a portion (typically one-third) of the amount you receive after a successful trial or settlement. Make sure you discuss expenses as well as attorney fees.
Think of the consultation as an interview. You’re hiring the lawyer. Put the attorney to the test, starting with this question….
You are, after all, as good as your representation. Your lawyer speaks for you. Therefore make sure you speak with that lawyer first to ensure he/she is the right one for the job. Find the best lawyer for you today.
The best thing you can do when asking your lawyer-client interview questions during your initial consultation is just listen. This is the time when the client should be doing most of the talking. Follow client communication best practices and try to avoid cutting them off or filling in pauses.
Especially if you’ve taken the time to thoroughly prepare for the interview, there’s nothing worse than a no-show. While some no-shows are unavoidable, often a simple confirmation email and a reminder can ensure your potential client makes the meeting.
Conduct a thoughtful pre-screen and conflict check 1 Pre-screen: Before you book the interview, have a set pre-screening process. Ask for basic information (for example, via an intake questionnaire) to help you decide if the client may (or may not) be a fit for your firm. You can make this process simpler for the client by using an online intake forms tool, like Clio Grow. 2 Conflict check: You’ll also want to do a conflict check before proceeding to ensure there are no conflicts of interest or other reasons that will prevent you from working with someone. Here again, an online intake tool can make this easier for you and the client. Clio Grow, for example, can be part of a robust conflict check process.
The client interview is part of your overall client intake process, so it’s important to track it for efficiency and ensure that no potential clients get missed. If you’re using online client intake software, you can easily track and see a potential client’s status in stages (for example, “needs a follow up”).
You may deal with the law every day, but pursuing a legal issue can be stressful, draining, and even scary for potential clients. With this in mind, do your best to be emotionally sensitive and make them feel as at ease as possible.
There are, broadly speaking, two categories of lawyers: those who go into court ( including depositions) and those who do not. The difference is important to your question because those of us who go to court have a separate ear, so to speak, listening to how we are making our record.
Legal memorandum, briefs, pleadings, and many other written communications rely on the lawyer’s ability to be informative and persuasive. Likewise, if the lawyer is a trial lawyer, or in some other way relies heavily on good speaking skills, then you will find certain paradigms that fit the need.
Take for example the word eviscerate, which is found in legal opinions more than you might think. The word is commonly defined as “ to disembowel, ” which by itself is a bit offensive for many. But it also has a meaning of “to deprive of vital or essential parts,” which is much better in the communication of an idea.
As defined by ethical rules, a lawyer's duty to keep clients informed has two primary components: to advise the defendant of case developments (such as a prosecutor's offered plea bargain or locating an important defense witness), and. to respond reasonably promptly to a defendant's request for information.
The duty to keep clients informed rests on attorneys, not clients. But on the theory that if the attorney screws up it's the client who usually suffers, here are a couple of steps that defendants can take to try to secure effective communication with their lawyers: 1 Raise the issue early on. Establish, in advance, a clear understanding about case updates. If an attorney's practice is to initiate contact only when a development occurs, the attorney should communicate that to the client at the outset of the representation. If a client wants (and can pay for) regular updates regardless of whether developments have taken place, that too can be spelled out in advance—even included in a written retainer agreement. 2 Be reasonable. A defendant who phones his or her attorney with a request for information can indicate a willingness to speak with the lawyer's associate, secretary, or paralegal. The lawyer may be too tied up on other cases to return the call personally, but may have time to pass along information through an assistant. And because some lawyers have poor communication skills, the defendant may be better off getting information from an assistant than from the lawyer.