Are You Really Ready to Hire an Attorney?

It’s a more nuanced question than you might think. Clients want to hire an attorney as soon as they have to deal with a legal matter. But what clients don’t always realize is that a lot goes into making sure they hire the right attorney.

We’ve compiled a set of guidelines that clients can (and should!) follow as they prepare to hire an attorney.

Get Your Information Together

Start gathering any information that might be relevant to your legal matter. This includes documents, records, a list of contacts, and even a timeline of events, if your time and place are important to the legal matter. All of this information can expedite your legal matter for you and your attorney.

Be Serious About Hiring An Attorney

Don’t just ask questions and fish for answers. We understand the impulse. The law is complex, and lawyers have the answers you need. But each attorney that you contact is more than a vault of knowledge. And their time and expertise are valuable. Too often, clients ask questions to get initial advice or suggestions, and then never contact the attorney again.

So contact attorneys with a willingness to move forward. Be specific with your information requests: What’s the timeline for this legal matter? What are the attorney’s estimates? What would the next steps be if we were to work together on this legal matter?

And if the attorney has questions? Respond quickly, of course! These attorneys have taken the time to answer very specific questions--and they’ve probably done so rather quickly for your convenience. So be convenient and courteous in return. And if you choose a different attorney or course of action, let them know.

Establish Your Selection Criteria

When preparing to hire an attorney, you need to think about what you want from your attorney. And there’s a lot that goes into that. There are 3 criteria we especially encourage you to consider as you screen attorneys:

Experience and Good Standing: You don’t want to hire just any attorney. Although the attorney who’s a family friend is convenient, they might not be the best attorney for your case. An attorney’s experience in a certain practice area can indicate a wealth of knowledge in this matter. Additionally, it’s important to confirm if an attorney is in good standing with their licensing authority, which is usually the State Bar. It’s important to find out if they’ve had any disciplinary action taken against them, too. Now, if you are using a website to research attorneys, like SimpleLaw, we have already confirmed they are in good standing. So it’s one less thing for you to do!

Communication Expectations: Know what you want from communication with your attorney. Since communication with them will often be billable (that is, you’ll be paying for their time), it’s worth thinking about communication methods that can give you more access to the status of your case, like client portals, without a corresponding fee. Client portals, like SimpleLaw, have built-in communication channels for you and your attorney, and they make exchanging information fluid and easy.

The Business Side: Your relationship with an attorney is also a business arrangement. So consider the business side of managing the case, too. What type of fee structure would you prefer: fixed, hourly or contingent? How often will you receive invoices? How will you pay your invoices and fees? Does the attorney use a paralegal and what fees are applicable for that role? How will you share documents, notes, and case information?

Clarify Expectations about Your Attorney-Client Relationship

As you move closer to formally hiring an attorney, be sure that you and the attorney clarify expectations. Clarify how you’ll communicate while formally working together, what the estimated timeline for the legal matter will be, how changes will be communicated, and how they will be managed. Be clear about your role, as the client, in supporting the efficient resolution of your legl matter.

These details will greatly inform how you and your attorney conduct business together. Departing from them will create lapses in communication, delays in work, and frustrations. If you aren’t on the same page with your attorney at the start, you’ll be pages and pages apart as your case goes on.

Be Willing to Work with Your Attorney

You may be hiring a professional to properly deal with your legal matter, but that doesn’t mean you should put it out of sight and out of mind. You want to be an integral part of resolving it. That’s why it’s called an attorney-client relationship. It’s a partnership, a collaboration.

So be sure you understand what the attorney expects of you, too.

We get it. Legal matters are rarely the result of something positive happening, outside of purchasing a new home or winning the lottery! But even in these situations, make sure you consider the role both you and the attorney will plan in the resolution of the matter. And look for attorneys who use legal technology to make the entire process more simple and efficient.