Perhaps you do not have any close friends who are lawyers that you can ask for a referral and you (luckily) have not ever needed the services of an attorney. Then, something comes up and you need legal advice. How should you go about finding and selecting an attorney? Certainly, many lawyers spend a lot of money on advertising trying to get your business. But are they the right attorneys for the job?
The days of general practice attorneys are over. No attorney can do a good job practicing in all areas of the law. One should not expect a lawyer who usually handles family court matters to be an expert on trusts and estates, nor should you expect a corporate attorney to help you with a criminal matter.
Here are five steps to selecting the South Carolina attorney you need:
- Identify the area of practice that you need help with. While many are easy to identify – criminal, family court – others are less clear – do I need a trademark attorney or a corporate lawyer? Does that real estate closing attorney really have the trial experience to handle a lawsuit? Research on the internet for the subject you need help with and try to identify the type of attorney that you need.
- Research attorneys in your area that do that type of legal work. Start with a Google search and visit their websites. Do they specifically indicate that they do the kind of work you need? Have they published articles or spoken at seminars on this area of the law? What makes them qualified?
- Check out their credentials. Many attorneys have been vetted by Martindale-Hubbell which gives you an idea of what their peers think about them. https://www.martindale.com/. Look at other rating websites.
- After your research is done, narrow your list to no more than 2 or 3 attorneys and call them and ask if (A) they have any potential conflicts in representing you; (B) what their experience is in the area of law for which you need help; (C) whether they have time to help you on the timetable you need; (D) Who will really work on your matter; (E) how will they bill you for their work.
- After you have gathered all of this information, you should have a good idea which attorney is a good fit for you to hire. Once you have made that decision, ask the attorney for an engagement letter and read it carefully to make sure that you are getting the legal help that you need.