How To Choose A Competent Attorney

When you have a legal problem and want an attorney to represent you

, you want them to be competent, knowledgeable and trustworthy while zealously pursuing the result you expect. How do you choose the right attorney?

The first step is to identify your legal issue. This will help you decide the area of expertise of the lawyer. Based on this, you can contact a law firm that handles your specific type of case. Most lawyers have a specific practice area, e.g., criminal, family, real estate, immigration or civil litigation, among others. There are lawyers who also have general practices.

If you go through the local yellow pages, you will be able to find advertisements for lawyers indicating their area of practice. The internet is also a good source of information since you can access it whenever it is convenient for you. Once you identify a few lawyers you think can help you, you need to short list them so that you can choose the one who can handle your case successfully.

You now need to find out how long the lawyer has been practicing law, different types of cases handled, and the lawyers success rate, if available, on similar cases. You also need to know if the firm you choose has any additional knowledge that could help your case. Find out about the lawyers experience, educational background and credentials.

Apart from the above factors, your lawyers personality counts. You must feel at ease and comfortable when you talk to your attorney. You should also feel that the lawyer has a genuine interest in your case and desires to help you resolve the issue. Based on the answers you get, you may now be ready to make an appointment. Many lawyers offer a free initial consultation. However, remember that a lot of research goes into legal advice and that it would be unfair to expect free advice.

As for costs, most attorneys charge an hourly rate or flat fee and invariably expect to be paid a retainer before they will start your case. The actual fees will depend on your specific case. While larger firms tend to charge higher fees, smaller firms charge you less and are more amenable to accepting payment arrangements. In addition, smaller law firms tend to be more flexible with their clients with payments. Some of the questions you should ask your prospective lawyer are:

Will you get a free initial consultation?

Will you be billed hourly, a flat fee or will your case be taken on a contingency basis?

How much can you expect to spend on the case?

How much advance money would you have to pay?

How quickly can your case be resolved?

After you get satisfactory answers to these questions, all you need to do is select the lawyer you feel the most comfortable with. If you are looking for an aggressive law firm in New Jersey that handles a variety of cases and offers individualized services, take a look at http://www.jzlawfirm.com

by: Trevor

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