• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money

Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money

Family, Marriage, Finances & Life

  • Toolkit
  • Contact
  • Lunch
  • Ways to Save Money
  • About the Clever Dude

Finances & Money

5 tips to choosing the right attorney

January 13, 2007
By Clever Dude
- Leave a Comment

I can’t claim to be an expert in legal matters by any stretch of the imagination, but based on some recent experiences, here are some quick tips to choosing the right attorney:

1. Don’t be in a rush to pick the first one you call. Give yourself enough time to do appropriate research into each lawyer’s records and experience.

2. Compare rates. Do they charge a flat rate? Does that include travel and phone expenses? What extras will they expect you to pay?

3. Do they offer you their cell phone number? My recent experience left me wanting much more with regards to conversations with my lawyer about what to expect and what I should be doing.

4. Is he or she a gambler? This is a very relevant question because if there’s an area of uncertainty about your case, such as whether a certain piece of evidence could be argued, you don’t want your lawyer to take a risk with your future that you otherwise wouldn’t make. This leads me to the next tip…

5. Does the attorney explain the process (court, paperwork, expectations, etc.) to you very clearly and up front? Do they continue to keep you informed throughout the process? Personally, I can’t make educated decisions without being educated. If the lawyer doesn’t answer your questions clearly and to your liking in your first meeting, then expect that to continue if you hire them.

I think you’ll find these five tips to be quite helpful, especially when you’re in urgent need of legal counsel. Lawyers aren’t all slimy, but there’s enough of the bad ones that make the good ones hard to find.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. moneysmartlife says

    January 17, 2007 at 12:17 am

    I’d like to add a step to the top of the list, get a referral. Ask around to family and friends, personal references are hard to beat. Then continue down the list.

    Reply
  2. Clever Dude says

    January 17, 2007 at 5:43 pm

    Ah, excellent advice!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. I drove the speed limit for 200 miles! at Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money says:
    August 10, 2008 at 9:08 pm

    […] on a bicycle or in a car, and it has cost me dearly in traffic tickets, insurance premiums and even attorney fees (in the car, that […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Are you feeling the call to be a Clever Dude? Then, let's get down to brass tacks and explore what it takes to be one. Get ready for an in-depth look into the anatomy of someone who exudes cleverness!

There's nothing like hearing you're clever; it always hits the spot!

Best of Clever Dude

  • Our Journey to Debt Freedom
  • Ways to Save Money Series
  • Examine Your Motives Series
  • Frugal Lunch by Clever Dudette
  • An Illustrated Frugal Lunch
  • I'm Tired of Buying and Spending
  • 50 Tips for New PF Bloggers
  • Other Personal Finance Blogs

Copyright © 2006 - 2021 District Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy Sitemap
Disclaimer: The Ads expressed herein are exclusively those of the Advertiser. They do not necessarily reflect our personal or professional beliefs.