According to the American Bar Association, there is one lawyer for every two hundred U.S., citizens. The most important aspect of selecting a lawyer that is right for you is to take the time to research and understand what you particular case entails and seriously consider engaging an expert in that field.
Currently, one of the most prominent health issues for which individuals seek legal advice surrounds hip replacement. A visit to Stryker Hip FAQ gives you the opportunity to see exactly what a specialist attorney looks like for these kinds of cases. The best lawyers who deal with this issue on a daily basis accept clients on a continguency basis, meaning that their fee is derived from a percentage of the monetary award rendered in court.
In these cases, effective lawyers know the statute of limitations guidelines and readily agree companies that manufacture these devices have their own interest at heart, not the client's. Case history has proven that these large medical device providers have in-house medical, legal and financial professionals whose sole responsibility is to protect the company.
If your need for a lawyer surrounds product dispute, it is important to select a lawyer who understands the difference between claim filing and the institution of a lawsuit. In most cases, companies prefer claim filing because the issue is between the company and the customer's legal council as opposed to a lawsuit wherein the final outcome is decided by a judge of the court, either at trial or privately in chambers.
Regardless of the reason of need, the first criteria for selecting the right lawyer is search for his or her profile and background data online. The bar association of the state in which the lawyer is licensed will have a record of his or her training, experience and possibly cases for which appeals have been successful. The Office of the Attorney General of each state will have a record of any complaints or adverse information obtained from previous clients, other lawyers and courtroom judges.
If you have no particular lawyer in mind, valuable information can be gained by visiting Investopedia's article about finding a lawyer. The American Bar Association offers the Martindale-Hubbard directory that will enable you to locate lawyers by field of practice and geographic location.
For legal needs of a non-criminal nature, the Legal Aid Society of each state provides a listing of lawyers who accept pro bono or offer a sliding-fee scale for low income individuals.
One of the first precautions to observe when selecting a lawyer is not to totally rely on recommendations made by friends, family members or colleagues because each case differs in many ways. Information gained from televized info-mercials and telephone directory yellow pages advertisements may not always contain all the information needed when selecting a lawyer.
Entering a lawyer's name into your favorite search engine requires only a few minutes of your time and can result in invaluable data if the lawyer has a website. In addition to the site's FAQ sector, the About tab should contain information relative to contact by phone and email and whether or not the lawyer offers at least a 20 to 30 minute no-fee consultation.
Keep a log of all contact made both in person, by phone and by email with a prospective lawyer. If an effort is made by phone to secure an appointment, keep a written record of the message left by text or on an answering machine. If contact is initiated during normal business hours, allow 24 hours for response to message receipt. The log should also record the expected date for “promises in writing,” on the part of the lawyer, to be received.
The aforementioned log should also include a list of brief questions to be addressed during a face-to-face appointment. The answers to these questions should not require more than a maximum of 3-to-5 minutes time during the free-consultation visit.
Websites such as Nolo, offer a pre-screen system in which an individual may present a case online via trunkated email. Said email will be passed to lawyers in a specific geographic location and legal practice who will review the case and respond with a service offer.
