Hopefully, you’ll never have to experience the stress of going through a legal battle. However, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a lawyer, it’s a comfort knowing they’re there to help. There are a lot of things to consider before hiring an attorney. Just finding one can be a bit of a hassle—with over one million lawyers practicing in the United States, it can be tough narrowing down the choice.
The best lawyers for hire are right at your fingertips.
How To Choose The Right Lawyer
Fortunately, there are a few easy shortcuts to picking the lawyer who’s going to be on your side and get your case a favorable outcome. First, it helps to know what types of lawyers are out there.
They tend to specialize, and some will be more successful at handling certain cases than others. Here are the most common types of lawyers and what how they can help you:
Civil Litigation Lawyer
These lawyers typically help a client sue another person after the latter has caused harm to the former. These cases include class action lawsuits, contract disputes, property disputes, and many others.
Tax Lawyer
These lawyers handle legal issues concerning tax. The most common issues are failure to file tax returns, tax evasion, and tax fraud.
Employment Lawyer
These lawyers help employees or employers regarding issues in the workplace. They are sought out for help with contracts, relationships, and other legal issues that may arise at work.
Estate Planning Lawyer
These lawyers help individuals to sort out how their assets are distributed after they pass away. They are also the ones to seek out when writing wills and setting up trusts.
Immigration Lawyer
In 2019, research shows that 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in a different country. This makes immigration issues one of the most common reasons people seek out lawyers.
Immigration lawyers help immigrants iron out problems with their legal status in the country.
Personal Injury Lawyer
As the name suggests, these lawyers handle cases involving injuries. These are typically associated with car crashes, falls, and slips.
Personal injury lawyers usually try to help their clients collect compensation for their injuries.
The Process And Costs Of Hiring An Attorney
A lot of people are unaware that there’s a bit of a process to hiring a lawyer, since they generally don’t show it on movies or TV. However, its nothing to worry about.
When you first call a lawyer’s office, usually you’ll speak to an administrative assistant, who will take your name, basic information, and ask you a few questions about your issue. Once they have this basic info, they’ll have to run your name and the name of all parties involved through their system to make sure there’s no conflict of interest. (A conflict of interest would arise if the lawyer has already worked with one of the other parties mentioned).
After the all-clear, you’ll be able to sit down with an attorney for a consultation.
Consultations can take anywhere from 30 minutes to half an hour.
Some lawyers offer them for free, as a sort of interview before you hire them. In most cases, though, you’ll have to pay for the initial consultation, since it usually includes legal advice. If you choose to move forward from here, your attorney will guide you through the next steps to fighting your case.
Hiring an attorney can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the case and the attorney. Some matters are very simple and don’t require going to court at all; many legal issues can be wrapped up with a settlement. If you choose to litigate (bring your case to court), this is when the bills really start to rack up.
A good lawyer will only advise you to do this if it’s absolutely necessary.
Find An Attorney In Your Local Area
The first step to finding an attorney is to search for one that practices near you.
Since different states have different laws, you want to pick one that’s familiar with the ins and outs of your home turf. Get started today by searching for the best and most affordable lawyers near you.
