There are many choices when it comes to hiring an attorney. We recommend that you pick an attorney who is qualified and whose approach/personality fits your goals and personality. Litigations of any type might drag out months or years thus you are essentially entering into a potentially long-term business relationship with your attorney. If the matchup is correct, you will be happy with the relationship and the outcome.
Education
Lots of consumers overlook this aspect of the decision process when picking an attorney. While education does not always correlate 100% to the attorney’s quality/caliber it does matter a great deal. So research the attorney’s education online and make sure he/she attended a reputable university and a reputable law school. If you are going to pay someone $450-$600 per hour you might as well hire the attorney who paid attention in school, got good grades and went to a top-tier law school.
After all going to court, presenting a case, arguing with a Judge or opposing side, drafting motions all require intellect and education. This is not to say that someone who went to a bad law school is a bad attorney but in simpler terms, if you are going to pay the same money you might as well get a Porsche rather than a Honda.
Experience
Too little or too much of a good thing is not necessarily ideal. What we mean by that is the following: if an attorney is brand new then, by all means, they need time to learn. So we recommend that you hire an attorney with at least 3-4 years of experience. If a brand new attorney is working within a midsize law firm with other experienced attorneys then that works just as well because he/she can rely on the experience of the others to complete your case.
On the flip side if the attorney has 40 years of experience and is acclaimed as being the best and most known in the field then the chances are he/she is extremely expensive, extremely busy and often times frankly not interested in focusing on your case because he/she does not need your referral nor your money. Pick in the golden middle – an attorney with 5-15 years of experience, driven, skilled, eager to help, eager to make money, eager to build a long-term relationship with you for future referrals. Pick someone at the prime of their career.
Objective
Pick an attorney whose objectives in your case match yours. Often times clients are overwhelmed by fast-talking arrogant attorneys who confuse and complicate the case at issue. Pick an attorney who can relate to you by talking to you in simple terms. If the attorney intimidates you, uses complicated unclear terms, creates confusion and implies a sense of urgency and chaos then skip that attorney. Those are the type that merely wants to take your money, confuse you, keep you in the dark and drag out your case without properly communicating with you.
Pick the attorney who speaks with you in simple terms, explains the circumstances, listens to you, understands your objective and gives you a clear outline of what can and cannot be done for you and what the possible outcomes are. This type of an attorney can be relied upon, to be honest, and fair. This type of an attorney will keep your budget and goals in mind and will become a long-term resource and a friend.
These three factors will help you pick the right attorney for your case. At The Margarian Law Firm, we are guided by these same factors when picking associate attorneys and use the same parameters when interacting with our clients. This is how we build a strong and long-term relationship with our clients. For over ten (10) years now we have served thousands of client and our powerful team of attorneys is ready to be considered by you next time you need legal representation. Lastly, the simplest yet most decisive factor in picking an attorney is to pick someone you like. If you like who you work with that will have a positive effect on your case and your life. Happy hunting!
