Ya know, It is tough to find a lawyer these days if you do not know what to look for. Lawyer's fees are expensive and one may feel as if they are getting ripped off. I mean, $350 an hour does seem pretty darn pricey when it comes to filling out a few forms and taking a walk to the courthouse.
Therefore before you hire a lawyer you should try to do the following:
-Find a friend who has had to hire a lawyer in the past. talk to them about their experiences and learn form them.
-Talk to at least 5 lawyers before you choose 1. Ask them questions about how long they have been practicing the type of law related to your case, how many cases like yours they have handled in the past, and how much they charged and what were the results of those prior cases. Once you have all this information, you can sit down and decide which lawyer is the best fit for your needs.
-Don't hire a lawyer just because they are the cheapest. Yes, Lawyer fees can get pretty costly, but if you hire an inexperienced lawyer it could cost you plenty more down the road. Do you do diligence and learn how complicated, or simple your matter is, then pick a lawyer with the appropriate experience.
There are a few good resources out there that will help you with the legal process if it s your first time entering it.
"Your Lawyer: A User's Guide" is a good resource where you'll be instructed on what type of relationship you should expect form your lawyer, and common mistakes that can be avoided. It is a quick read. only about 100 pages
Also, you can find information about local lawyers at legalmatch.com. If you present your case within their intake system, they will match you to local lawyers who handle the matters that you need help with. Lawyers will respond to your case information and provide you with profiles, ratings of previous clients, information specifically about your case, and information about the cost involved in your case.
You can go to lawyers.com and scroll through a list of lawyers with some basic information, however you would have to call each of them to learn more.
Some lawyers will offer a free consultation. most of the younger lawyers offer this, however the more experienced lawyers will charge in order to weed out clients who are just looking for some free advice.
Happy hunting for your first lawyer and good luck entering the legal process. it seems very convoluted, but if you stick to the basics, you'll be ok
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
DUI Florida Lawyer
Have you noticed what happens when you are searching for a DUI Florida lawyer on google. You get a ton of lawyers who promote their services and what they can do for you, but you have no idea if what they are saying is true and no point of reference. If it was up to me, each DUI Florida lawyer would have ratings, profiles, line items about average cost and so on. There are enough negative connotations going around about lawyers these days and it is tough to make an informed decision. So let’s take a look at who comes up here. The first law firm to show up is
Their website is www.richardessen.com
This website looks like they are trying to sell you on something as opposed to really trying to provide a good HONEST quality service. The website is very flashy. These guys have been all over the media and obviously have been able to spend a lot of money on PR. They allow you to view profiles of each lawyer, however does the information they provide really offer what consumers want to hear? Do consumers really care about all the times a DUI Florida lawyer has been published? Who knows, I leave it to the people to decide. One cool thing about this law firm's website is they provide you with a DUI test. Check it out by clicking on the "test your defense" link.
The 2nd lawyer to appear when typing in DUI Florida lawyer is Steven G. Casanova, P.A.
This site is similar to the one above in a number of aspects. The profiles talk to consumers as if they care about how many associations they belong to and how many times they have been published, and they both say nothing about what other past clients have said about them. Now it seems to me that consumers might see a long list of articles and memberships that are associated with each lawyer and be some what impressed, however aren’t there more important things on their minds. Especially since most consumers have no idea what most of the highlighted publications and memberships even are.
There are plenty of other sites that exist when you type in “DUI Florida lawyer” however most of the sites are somewhat similar. I just picked the two above since they ranked #1 & #2 in the organic results. Which means they understand a thing or two about search engine marketing.
This post is intended to show people that the standardized ways of promoting a law practice does not always have to fall in line with what everyone else is doing, or has done in the past. It is important to show people how your practice is different. And these days, on the web, people want to get feedback from other people who have used the services before.
From my experience, which is limited, most people, not all, want to find a lawyer who they can connect with, (i.e. have a decent professional relationship where they can meet eye to eye) will charge “reasonable fees” for their services, and will be there for them if they have questions or want to be informed on the progress of their case. Where does this type of reassurance appear on these sights? Have I overlooked something?
Now I am not saying that these qualities are all consumers want to see, but it is something lawyers should think about when promoting themselves.
If you are a DUI Florida Lawyer, before you write your next profile, think to yourself. Am I here to impress my colleagues and friends, or am I here to show (not tell) how my services can relate to consumers on a more down to earth personal level and how my services differ from the 1000’s of other attorneys out there.
If you are a consumer out there looking for a lawyer, think about what i have mentioned above. Ask the lawyer if they wouldn’t mind putting you in touch with a previous client to talk about their experiences. If the client had a great experience, i am sure they would not mind chatting with you. If the lawyer tells you that speaking to a previous client would be in breach of the client lawyer confidentiality agreement, then just explain to them that you don’t need to know anything about their case, you just want to know their opinion about how you handled them and their case.
Lawyers & Laws
I created this Blog for the millions of people in this country who need lawyers and information about the law. The law is confusing and can be expensive. Most people don’t know where to start in regards to hiring a lawyer, or researching information about local law. It is my intent to create an informative blog that will encourage people to help each other. I will provide information and resources so people looking for specific legal information can find it easily.
About me: I have worked in the online legal industry for the last 3 years. I have made some assumptions and come to my own conclusions about the industry. The one thing that I DO know is this. There are more and more lawyers entering the workforce each year and it is getting harder to find a good one. Since the market is becoming overly competitive, some people are willing to do whatever it takes to get new clients in the door. Therefore it is highly important that consumers be well informed before making any rash legal decisions.
Good Luck to all and much more to come.
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