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How To Choose a Lawyer, Solicitor Or Attorney
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Choose A Professional. The worst error you can make is picking a lawyer you can't trust. There are thousands of solicitors on the web. It's important to find one you can count on. You want a good deal but it's crucial you choose one with a good reputation. Ask your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues for recommendations.
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It's A Competitive Market. There are many sites proffering legal services. Most are resellers or directories. A reseller is somebody who refers you onto the attorney who will really handle your case. This may save you cash, or be a damned nuisance. The lawyer you choose should be in sync your needs and circumstances. You don't need an ambulance-chaser for a serious criminal charge. If you're skint, some good solicitors do 'pro bono' work; free, for the public good.
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What's Involved In Your Case? You want to get the big picture, and what your part will be as the case plays out. You also want to get a sense of how good a communicator your solicitor is. Solicitors are advocates; if they can't communicate clearly to you, they don't have the ability to do it in a courtroom.
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Shop Around. Get quotations from three or four solicitors. You may be able to save yourself thousands. Don't select a lawyer just because they have the cheapest rates. Consider the overall, long term costs and how crucial the case is to you.
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A Law Firm Or Just A Referral Service? Referral firms have web sites that make them seem to be the whole deal. They take your case and then sell it to the real law firm who will pay them a fee. Once you've settled on a few law firms, you can enter their business name in a search engine with the words 'problem' or 'scam', and see what comes up. It can be revealing!
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Gird Your Loins And Flex Your Wallet. The legal process is slow; preparation for a trial and then the trial itself will take months, sometimes years. Initial fees will be in the thousands. Costs are things like hiring expert witnesses, travel expenses, depositions etc. The solicitor who represents you charges these initial fees which are associated with the preparation for and the trial itself.
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Make Sure You Are Comparing Like With Like. When looking for an attorney on the internet, compare apples with apples. It's foolish to line up a kid fresh out of college against a senior partner in a firm that was founded early last century. Suit the man to the job!
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Contingency Fee. When pursuing damages, try to choose a solicitor who'll take on your case on a contingency-fee basis; he will not get paid until you get paid. Make sure you clearly grasp the payment schedule before you sign the retainer contract. He will get his fee out of the funds you receive in your settlement; about one-third of your final settlement after costs are taken off the top!
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The Firm's Area Of Expertise: Some law firms websites make it appear the firm specialises in cases of your type, but their experience is in other areas. A mistake in relevant law could be harmful to your case.
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Be sure you solicitor is aware that you'll not pay anything that is not covered in an upfront by a signed and agreed-on estimate. If during the case-work new fees arise, make sure that your advocate understands that you have to pre-approve the expenditure or it will not be paid for by you.
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Put It Down On Paper. Disputes arise over assumptions not put in writing. The solicitor has his version of your 'gentlemen's agreement', and you have yours. Disputes are ideally avoided by clearly spelling out everything in advance; the essence of a good contract.
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Ask If The Solicitor Intends To Truly Handle The Case Himself. Many law firms simply pass the job to the 'real' specialist and get part of the fees in return. This might not be in your best interests.
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Some Questions You Ought to Ask:
• How many years have you been in practice?
• How speedily can I expect my suit to be completed?
• When may we meet?
• What length of time have you been with your present firm?
• Are you an associate or a partner?
• Time and accessibility.
• How much will the total outgoings be, approximately?
• By what method do you charge for your services?
• Will you give a detailed, written statement of fees?
• Is the first consultation free?
• Do you communicate via mobile phone, telephone, fax or email?
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Demand A Written Estimate Of Fees, all disbursements and extras. They don't often get asked asked this. Ensure that the estimate contains an upper limit, an hourly rate and a schedule of chargeable items. Lawyers usually charge for phone calls and photocopies. Be sure and cover contingencies with him. What will it cost if the unpredictable occurs? You will want to know before you get a huge bill. Attorneys aren't charities. They're in this game to make a profit and only the simple-minded would quibble with this. It cost a lot to get them where they are, so they charge for it.
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Educate Yourself About Basic Relevant Law, both in practice and theory. Look up previous cases. Then you can ask your attorney informed questions, instead of paying his fees and crossing your fingers.
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Complete Disclosure. Be completely truthful when discussing your case with a solicitor. He can only win your case if he knows all the relevant details; if you hold something back it may trip you up further on. Tell him as much as you know. Try to remember every relevant detail. Any related photographs and paperwork you can present will be very useful to him in evaluating your case.
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A Lot Is At stake. If you want to destroy a man, mire him in lawsuits. Sit down with a number of attorneys before you come to a final decision. Think about trying to get a few recommendations. Unless you're skint, free legal aid isn't the way to go. You tend to get the law you pay for, regrettably.
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Do Some Maths. Get out paper, pen and calculator. What's the worst that could occur? Do you have sufficient cash to meet the solicitor's expenses if you lose? You should ask yourself if you truly require an attorney. Do you truly need to begin proceedings? A long-running court case can hover over your head like a sword of Damocles.
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Any solicitor who will not give you a half-hour free initial consultation is not worth meeting. Tell them upfront you want to discuss all money matters at the initial meeting. Most attorney and client disagreements are caused by misunderstadnings over money.
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Find The Right Lawyer. Many people find lawyers by these methods:
• 1) In the US, you can get in touch with state bar associations.
• 2) Solicitor referral services will refer you to an attorney who specialises in your problem, for a fee. These services can be found in the yellow pages.
• 3) Recommendations from co-workers, friends and family who have used a lawyer recently.
• 4) Adverts.
'Free' and 'no charge' are warning signs. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Many respected solicitors do not advertise. Avoid hiring one who knocks at your door unannounced. 'Ambulance chasing', known technically as barratry, is often forbidden by local bar associations. If he's bending or breaking rules to get clients, how probable is it he'll follow them to win your case in a legal trial?
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Learn How To Fire Him. A contract can specify that even if you dismiss a lawyer, he can still get a large percentage of any future settlement or payout you could receive from your case. Be sure you know how to sack your solicitor, ideally before you employ him!
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Know Your Options. Make sure your attorney gives them to you. Solicitors don't just sue people. Suing can be a most time-consuming and expensive way for one to get paid. Make sure your attorney is open about other methods to solve your problem, such as arbitration or mediation.
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Ask What May Be Expected As A Retainer. If you favor a certain lawyer try to haggle over fees. A lawyer prefers to charge by the hour, but often rates can be negotiated. There are too many attorneys with too few clients today. You may get a better deal.
Are you getting the best deal from a energetic, thorough person, or a fly-by-night ambulance chaser, who, when you need them the most, will not return your calls? Trust your intuition over your reason.
I hope these few simple suggestions will help you in get a good solicitor on your case, quickly.
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Time now: 01:11:41 | Saturday | May 04 | 2024..
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