When Do You Need A Lawyer And How To Choose One
If you are like most people, you don’t deal with lawyers a lot. You may think that only people in trouble need lawyers. You may think that your legal matter has not yet become a crisis, and therefore you do not need a lawyer yet. Or you may think you simply cannot afford to pay for legal advice. If you are even considering the need for a lawyer, read this article. We hope it will help you decide when you need a lawyer and when you may not. Be sure to read "Our Most Important Advice" on the right side of this page.
Sometimes, it is obvious that you need a lawyer. If you have been sued, or need to sue someone. If you have been charged with a crime. If you have been injured and seek benefits provided by law. In these instances, there is an immediate crisis at hand. Unfortunately, it is only during these crisis moments that most people think to retain an attorney. An attorney can be of great use at other times as well, and can save you a lot of trouble (and a lot of money) if consulted early.
Sooner, Rather than Later
The fact is, we live in a world made up of laws and legal systems that control the way we act and interact with others. As society has grown more complicated, these systems have grown more complicated. A great cartoon has two guys looking at a law library and saying “And to think we started off with 10 commandments.” Our legal system is way beyond 10 commandments these days.
Lawyers have been trained to navigate these systems for you. If you have an issue you suspect may become a problem, you should retain an attorney sooner rather than later. Your goal should be to avoid the problem. If you wait and see the attorney after the situation is a problem, the attorney can do nothing to help you avoid it in the first place. If you retain an attorney sooner, we can often advise you on ways to handle your affairs to prevent the issue from becoming a problem.
Always remember that lawyers are also called “counselors”. Don’t ever forget the valuable role that an attorney can play in counseling you to avoid a crisis situation. If you agree that a lawyer can be valuable as a counselor in problem situations, then you must admit that the best time to hire a lawyer is before the problem even arises.
If you are embarking on a new legal arrangement of any kind (starting a business, buying a house, etc.) it would be helpful to see a lawyer first. A lawyer can then counsel you on the best way to conduct your affairs so that you never encounter a problem. The best time to hire an attorney for crisis counseling is before the problem arises. You should seek advice now to avoid the crisis in the first place.
The Value of a Consultation
Often, you may be able to resolve a brewing crisis yourself. You and the other party may be reasonable people who can negotiate reasonably. A good example is a minor problem with a tenant you may have. It can be better to resolve that face to face. However, you should strongly consider seeing a lawyer for an advice session first.
The lawyer can explain the law, and how the situation may be resolved in court if a deal cannot be reached. Then you know what your options are, and you can negotiate intelligently. You do not want to find out later that you gave up something you did not have to give up because you were mistaken about the law.
Most lawyers charge a small consultation fee for these advice sessions. It is usually well worth the time and money. You can then be sure you know the law, and be sure it applies to your situation, before you take action. Before assuming you know the law on any matter, you should at least get a consultation so a lawyer can advise you according to your own situation.
In short, it is always better to see a lawyer for a consultation if you need any advice. And if you have an issue that may become a problem, you should see an attorney sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the worse the problem situation becomes. Soon, any problem situation will be a crisis requiring an enormous investment of time and energy on the part of an attorney to help you get the best result. A lawsuit may be needed, and that is always expensive.
What Should I Look For In An Attorney?
Once you have decided you may need to see an attorney, you still have to find one you can trust. Unless you have prior dealings with a particular attorney, and admired the way they handled themselves, you may not know how to pick one attorney over another.
The best way to assess whether an attorney is right for you is during an initial interview. As I said, most attorneys charge a small flat fee for a consultation. This consultation fee will usually buy you one-half hour of the attorney’s time. In this way, the attorney can assess your case and decide whether or not it is a good case to take on. However, you can use this consultation as well. You can use this consultation as an interview of your attorney.
When you present your case to the attorney, you will get a chance to look them in the eye and see how they interact with you. You will be able to judge their competency, credibility and honesty. You will often get a “gut feeling” about the attorney. This can be very helpful in deciding whether or not you want this particular attorney to take your case.
Clearly, you should look for an attorney who is confident in his or her field. The attorney should know what they are talking about when they answer questions about your case. An attorney with experience is another big plus. However, don’t make the mistake of judging an attorney simply on his or her age. A couple of years experience in any particular legal field is enough to be competent, particularly if their background is appropriate. For example, a former law clerk for a Judge may be green, but he or she has been "behind the curtain" and may know a lot about how the Judge is going to handle your case. That experience can be invaluable.
What really separates the good attorneys and the bad is honesty and integrity. Your lawyer should be able to level with you. They should honestly and accurately assess your situation and options. They should be able to deliver bad news if that is reality. You should not hire an attorney who is just telling you what you want to hear to get your business. Attorneys are professionals, and professional independence is a large part of being an attorney. Any attorney who is not willing to be honest and independent in their analysis of your case is probably not worth hiring.
We have competent, honest, independent attorneys at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett. We hope you will consider us when you need a lawyer. But even if you do not hire us, you should strongly consider seeing a lawyer sooner rather than later if you think you have a legal issue on which you could use advice.
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Our Most Important Advice
The information on this site is general legal information and should not be considered legal advice which pertains to your specific situation. Effective legal advice depends on understanding the unique facts of your particular situation, and applying the law to these facts. Please don’t think that reading this information makes you a lawyer. This information is no substitute for hiring an attorney.
The act of reading or using this information does not constitute an attorney-client relationship between yourself and this firm. The only way to form that relationship is to meet with an attorney and sign a retainer agreement. Until then, no attorney-client relationship exists.
We hope the information on this site helps you understand your legal problem. We ultimately hope you will hire our firm to represent you. If you do not, we strongly encourage you to seek another lawyer for advice in any legal issue you encounter. If you represent yourself in any serious legal matter, you are playing with fire. And you could easily make your situation much worse. At the very least, seek a meeting with a lawyer for a consultation. Most attorneys charge a small consultation fee for meeting with them to discuss your legal problem and seek advice. That is money well spent.
We practice in Maryland, and this information is based on Maryland law. The free legal information on this site strictly pertains to Maryland. If you are not in Maryland, stop now. Your state’s law is probably different. See a lawyer familiar with your state’s law.
