How to hire a lawyer with confidence

What this site is, and is not

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You still have to sign a written engagement with whoever actually represents you. Read the fee contract. Call the bar.

The five calls

1. Confirm the lawyer is active on the official state-bar lookup. Do not trust a badge on a billboard or on this site.

2. Ask who will actually handle the file (partner, associate, or a mill paralegal) and how often you will hear from a human.

3. Ask whether the fee is a percentage of the gross or the net, what happens if there is a counterclaim, and who pays costs if you lose.

4. Ask how many similar matters they tried or resolved in the last three years. “We’ve handled thousands” is not an answer.

5. Ask what would make them decline your case. A good lawyer has a list.

Red flags

Guarantees of a dollar amount. That is a Rule 7.1 problem and a character problem.

Pressure to sign the same day, especially in a hospital room.

A fee agreement you are not allowed to take home.

A firm that will not name the responsible attorney.

Anyone who asks you to hide a prior lawyer or a prior claim.