Choosing the right attorney can be difficult, especially when dealing with a legal case. Whether you need an attorney for your bankruptcy, criminal or custody issues, you’ll want to find one that you can trust.
Start your search with a trusted online database or by asking friends and family for recommendations. When interviewing potential lawyers, ask about their experience and how they would approach your case.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom aims to fill gaps in existing justice processes by delivering the outcomes that people want, including lower-cost options for legal documents. It also provides services for businesses, such as incorporation, trademark registration and creation of trusts.
The company uses a design-testing process to improve its products and services. It interacts with five to 15 customers on a weekly basis and creates three variations of each product or service. They are then compared to customers, who provide feedback on what works and what doesn’t. The company then reworks its designs and tests them again.
Customer reviews on online review sites have a mixed reaction to the company’s business formation filings, with most positive comments focusing on the quality of customer support. However, negative online reviews focus on unauthorized charges and poor service from the company’s partner services (like tax). These include long processing times for document submissions. LegalZoom’s Peace of Mind review, which sounds like a service where an attorney examines documents, actually includes an automated computer program that checks for errors.
Ask for Referrals
The best way to find an attorney is to ask for one from a trusted source. Many people use online databases that provide client reviews and vetted attorneys near you. These databases allow you to search by practice area and location. You can also find information about attorney licensing and disciplinary records.
Referrals are a great way to build relationships with existing clients. You should encourage your clients to share their experiences with you and connect them with potential new leads. You should also offer an incentive to your referrals – it can be as simple as a discount on their next service.
Asking for a referral shouldn’t feel like a sales pitch. The request should be natural and should come after you’ve established a positive relationship with your customer. The request should also be made in a way that is not intrusive. It is best to do this during lunch or after work hours, as it is unlikely your customers will be available at other times.
Look for Law Firms
Law firms are businesses made up of lawyers and legal professionals that can help with tasks like filing a personal injury lawsuit or closing a real estate transaction. They come in all shapes and sizes, from solo practices to large corporations with hundreds of attorneys nationwide. Choosing the right one for your needs is essential to getting the best legal advice.
There are many things to consider when selecting a firm, from the culture of the office to the salary. Some larger law firms offer high salaries, but these often come with a toll on associates’ work/life balance due to the billable hours system (which requires that attorneys keep track of their time in six-minute increments).
You should also check out the firm’s reputation and past client base. If you’re a diverse business, you may want to choose a law firm that has experience working with similar types of companies in the past. You can find out about a law firm’s history by reading through legal news, such as Law360 or the Wall Street Journal.
Search the Internet
In most cases, the first step in finding a lawyer involves using a search engine. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to find a qualified lawyer using this method, since the results are often generic or not specific enough. For example, a person who searches for “lawyer near me” without entering any other criteria will receive results that may include lawyers in many different areas of the law, such as copyright, tort, and employment.
Another option is to use a legal directory, such as LawInfo’s attorney directory. Here, users can search for Lead Counsel Verified attorneys in their area that practice law related to their specific needs.
Finally, a user can also seek out an attorney online by registering for free on websites like LegalMatch. After registering, users will provide information about their case in a submission form, and lawyers who are interested will contact them to schedule a consultation meeting. The consultation will help the lawyer determine if they are the right fit for the client’s legal issue.