Questions to Ask When Choosing a Lawyer


By Jimmie Sypolt

When You Need a Lawyer, How Do You Choose One?

Choosing a Lawyer is often a daunting and overwhelming task. One person says “I’m being sued for defaulting on a auto loan. I want to fight it, but I don’t know where to start”. Someone says to him, “try a consumer protection lawyer”. Well, that recommendation could be qualified a little more by saying, “you need a litigation lawyer – someone who's used to court work. If your case is in small claims court (depending on where you are located) you may be able to find some good paralegals who are cheaper to retain”.

How do you figure out what to do? How do you know? In regards to choosing a lawyer, recommendations are only good if the person who is making the recommendation has actually seen the lawyer in action. anyone can talk big, but you want someone who will produce results for you.

Ask Pertinent Questions Before Retaining a Lawyer

You need to know the length of time expected to solve your legal problem, so ask the lawyer how long it has taken him/her to bring cases similar to yours to a conclusion in the past.

Another good question to ask is if your case has more complex issues than the lawyer's previous cases similar to yours in the past and whether the time to bring the case to conclusion would be affected.

Its also important to know if there are any legal time limitations that will affect the length of time you have to bring an action. If there is no way to predict how long this matter might take, what are the reasons for that? Also, the lawyer may be able to act more quickly if there's something you can do to help speed up the process, so ask that question too.

Since you are not likely to know what the law is, ask the lawyer to explain the law as it relates to your case and the effect which existing laws may have on your case. To avoid confusion and miscommunication, it's very important that both the client and lawyer fully understand each other with regard to the results expected.

Asking pertinent questions plays a big part in determining whether or not the cost and the time involved in pursuing the matter are worth the expected result. The lawyer and client should agree on what expectations that each have, such as settlement, mediation or trial, and how the lawyer will try to obtain those expectations. The client also has a right to expect a status report of the case.

Your Lawyer Choice is a Matter of Trust and a Professional Relationship

You should steer clear of lawyers who try to get too close to you as all legal relationships should remain on a professional relationship at all times. In addition, the price that lawyers charge makes it advisable to set up a pay-as-you-go agreement, such as on a monthly or quarterly basis. This way when it comes time to pay, you can ask yourself if you are receiving the best deal for your money, and if not, you can change gears when you need to. Since all the fees are coming out of your pocket its very important to deal with your lawyer in a businesslike fashion at all times until you are satisfied with the services.

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Jimmie Sypolt is an expert author for Eastridge Paralegal Service in Salt Lake City, Utah.