Knowing how to search for a lawyer can put you in a good overall position. That’s because it’s likely that, at some point in your life, you’re going to need an attorney. It doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. But there are definitely times in your life when you need to find a lawyer in a hurry. Knowing ahead of time how best to search for a lawyer can

When you need a lawyer, you need a lawyer–and research probably isn’t high on your list of things to do. So you start searching for a lawyer (frantically, maybe) only to find that there are actually dozens, if not hundreds, of different kinds of lawyers. They all specialize in different things. How are you supposed to find the lawyer you need? Knowing how to search for a lawyer can help you find what you need when you need it.

But it isn’t easy. There are some things you should find out before you start searching for an attorney that might be able to help you on your quest. That’s why we’re here! We’re going to take a little bit of time to talk about how to search for a lawyer. You never know when this kind of information could come in handy.

Hopefully this isn’t information you’ll ever need. But if you do suddenly find yourself in need of legal services, at least you’ll know where to start.

Know What Kind of Lawyer You’re Looking For

The first step in your lawyer research should be narrowing down what kind of lawyer you need. For all sorts of good reasons, lawyers tend to specialize. That means that there are all kinds of different lawyer types. Some of the most commonly sought out include:

  • Criminal defense attorneys: These are the types of lawyers that will defend you in a criminal matter (for example, DUI or DWI cases).
  • Family attorneys: These are the types of attorneys that will handle family disputes, such as divorce or child support issues.
  • Real estate lawyers: These attorneys specialize in law around property, renting, and buying and selling real estate (as the name implies).
  • Contract attorney: When you need a contract signed or a drawn up, contract attorneys are who you will go to. Often, these attorneys are also industry-specific.

There are also “general” attorneys out there as well. But general practicing attorneys won’t always know any given field with the depth that a specialist might. So you’ll have to think about what type of attorney you’ll want to seek out for your purposes.

Know How to Search for an Attorney

There are a wide variety of ways to search for a lawyer. Sometimes it’s a matter of flipping through the yellow pages. More often, people are going to use Google to find what they need to find. Most people are going to search for attorneys in a pretty straightforward way: “my particular issue + attorney.”

That is, they’re going to go to the search bar and type in “divorce lawyer” or maybe “divorce lawyer + city.” The trick is to know that this is the beginning of the search process, not the end. The first search result will not always be the best attorney for your needs.

Reviews Are Not Always Common

Unfortunately, one of the best tools for evaluating services isn’t always available for attorneys: reviews. Many attorneys and clients rely on a certain amount of privacy. And people don’t always seek legal services for something they’re proud to admit in public. So finding reviews of attorneys can be quite difficult, depending on the type of attorney you’re looking for.

What Makes a Good Attorney?

If you can’t find reviews, what should you look for to help ensure you make contact with the best attorney possible? Well, you might have to do a little bit of leg work and trust your instincts on this one. There’s nothing to stop you from contacting multiple attorney’s offices in order to get a feel for each particular lawyer.

  • Make appointments for consultations with multiple attorneys (especially if the consultation is free–otherwise, you might want to take them one at a time until you find the right fit)
  • That said, be sure you honor your appointment! Being a no-show to a consultation is not great form, and you never know if you might need that attorney’s services in the future.
  • Make sure you ask all the questions you can. You’re not trying to take the attorney’s job, of course–you’re just trying to get a sense of how this particular attorney will handle your case.
  • Weigh your options and make the best choice possible.

Sometimes, the best attorney is going to be the one that tells you what you don’t want to hear. But you also want to make sure that you and your attorney have similar visions on how to proceed. And, of course, you need to select a lawyer who is in your price range.

There’s a lot to consider, and there are very few shortcuts to this stage of your research. But it’s worth taking your time and finding the right fit. Knowing how to search for a lawyer can help you get as much as possible out of this process and, possibly, find the best lawyer for you and your needs.