3 Important Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Attorney

Are you in need of legal assistance? Are you trying to figure out how to choose exactly which attorney will be right for your needs? Picking a lawyer from the many that are available can seem intimidating and overwhelming. If you just flip open the phone book or do an online search, you'll likely find dozens of potential candidates. In order to make sure that you've chosen the right one for your particular case, here are some questions that you should consider asking before you agree to hire anyone:

What do you specialize in? If you're looking for attorneys to help you with a car accident case, you'll obviously need a lawyer who handles accident cases and not one who handles workers compensation cases. But even if you pick a law firm that handles your type of case, you'll still want to make sure that the attorney in question is right for your case. For instance, a lawsuit involving an accident that involved a motorcycle may deal with slightly different areas of the law than if the other vehicle were a regular car or even a commercial truck. The more your chosen lawyer knows about the relevant areas of the law, the faster your case could be resolved.

What fees are involved? Even if your attorney is working on a contingency fee basis, you may still be responsible for things like filing fees or the fees for getting copies of certain documents. Some attorneys will absorb these costs initially, but you are still expected to pay the court fees no matter what the outcome. Other attorneys will simply roll the court costs into their percentage and you won't owe anything at all if the case doesn't resolve in your favor. In return for not having to worry about the court fees, the lawyer in question may charge a slightly higher percentage from your settlement than otherwise.

How long will this case take? Every case is unique and the length of time can depend on a variety of factors. Experienced attorneys should be able to give you a rough estimate as to how long a particular case might take to resolve. This will be based on his or her past cases, including a knowledge of how backed up the courts are currently. If you have a very strong case, your attorney may be able to tell you to be ready to accept a settlement offer very quickly instead of having to wait for everything to resolve in court.

For more information, contact companies like Lynn Jackson Shultz & Lebrun PC.


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