3 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring an Attorney

June 2, 2020

The worst mistake someone could make when they need legal counsel is to choose an attorney based off of the law office sign they saw a few blocks down the street.

Whatever the legal matters might entail, the success of your case is too important to leave the choice of an attorney up to something as trivial as the location of their office, the television ad they placed, or the fact that their logo appears on a bench at the bus stop.

Instead, it is wiser to interview your prospective representation just as much as they might interview you. Gather a list of questions you’d like your attorney to answer and make sure they address their qualifications as well as your specific needs.

We will even help you get started! Here are the first three questions you should ask before hiring an attorney:

  1. Do you have experience in cases like mine?

    This might go without saying, but you would be surprised how often people choose convenience over quality.

    The bottom line is, no matter the legal issue, you want to win. You want an attorney who is not only a good fit for you and easy to get along with, but also, simply put, good at their job. If you neglect to ask about an attorney’s experience, you might be wishing you had by the time the gavel comes down.

  2. What’s your preferred approach?

    This question is best asked to yourself as well as to your prospective attorney. Do you want someone overly aggressive or strategic and calculated? If it’s the former, be wary. Whenever you have someone gunning hard, pounding the table, and screaming your case, you better be sure the situation calls for it. More often than not, this approach can be off-putting to the judge or jury.

    Whatever the case, make sure your prospective attorney takes an approach that aligns with your vision and has a track record of adhering to it.

  3. Can you share reviews and testimonials from previous clients?

    This question is perhaps the most important. It’s an unfortunate truth in our industry, but these days many lawyers would be better served seeking jobs as salespeople. They know how to pitch themselves and close the deal with their clients, but when it comes time to navigate their cases, they simply fall short.

    There’s no better measuring stick for how qualified an attorney is than their own track record of client satisfaction. How often did they leave their clients satisfied? Would their clients recommend them? If there’s even a little hesitancy on your part while looking over past reviews, perhaps it would be best to search for someone else.

Curious about our answers to the questions above? Contact us! We’re here to answer these questions and any others you might have.