I was shopping for a Portland Oregon Attorney a few weeks ago and really had a hard time going though the online business directories
. It seems there are a lot of national companies selling clicks for Attorneys.
When looking on the Internet always be specific in your search. For instance if you are in need of a Portland OR Divorce Attorney, them use those keywords in your Google search. If you are very specific in your search, you will get pages of relevant Attorneys.
When you get the first page of results probably the top ones will be national companies with websites simply for getting clicks. Steer clear of those sites that are not locally based. Those Attorney business directories have absolutely no program for filtering out the good ones from bad. I am further not so sure they even care! There is one Oregon Attorney business directory that is local, www.oregonattorneysandlawyers.com. This website is Oregon based and only has Oregon Lawyers in it.
Dont be impressed with a fancy website either. A fancy website does not in any way reflect the reputation of an Attorney. Find out if they belong to any city or county associations. How long have they been in practice? Do they specialize in the area of law you need help in? In what part of Oregon do they practice? These are some of the questions you need answered prior to hiring a Lawyer.
Another thing to keep in mind is just because they are on the first page of Google does not mean they are a good Attorney. It simply means that they have invested in a Portland Oregon Search Engine Optimization expert.
When looking for an Oregon Attorney in the yellow pages also keep in mind that the fancy half page ads are not a clear indication as to their work ethic or success rate. Once again it means that they simply bucked up to the counter with a large advertising campaign.
A terrific way of researching for r a Attorney is to ask friends and family if they have ever used an Lawyer. And more importantly if they were satisfied with their choice in Attorneys. What type of law do they practice in is a good starting point for inquires.
Whatever means you employ to find and hire an Attorney, be sure to be thorough in your questions. Once you hire an Attorney you are so invested financially it is hard to fire them and start over. It may be a long process if the choices you make are done with hast, or by relying on superficial advertising as a bases for your decision.