When searching for an attorney, it’s best to get personal referrals from friends and family as well as visiting online attorney databases which allow users to search by name or location and provide details on background and education of potential candidates.
Find an attorney specializing in your legal matter and verify their license as well as their absence of disciplinary records.
Referrals
Referrals are one of the best ways to find an attorney. These referrals can come from any source – other attorneys, friends and family as well as online databases such as LegalZoom which contain lists of attorneys with practice areas, professional backgrounds and client reviews as well as offering consultation services near them.
Requesting referrals from other lawyers can be an excellent way to form a productive lawyer network, yet it must adhere to both social and ethical rules when doing so. For example, family law attorneys might not be allowed to refer cases outside their field of practice.
Attorneys may also obtain referrals from local bar associations. Some committees of bar associations specialize in specific practice areas and make referrals according to these parameters, making it easy for clients to locate attorneys with appropriate experience and expertise.
Online attorney databases
If you need to conduct legal research, an attorney database online can be an invaluable resource. Offering full text access to case law, journals, legislation and other resources as well as advanced searching features like field or segment restrictions and Boolean search operators; they provide a great resource for experienced lawyers searching for information quickly and efficiently.
Online databases such as Avvo can assist in your search for an attorney based on client reviews and professional backgrounds, while other databases provide more in-depth details regarding education, experience and areas of practice for each attorney. You can even search by name to locate attorneys with valid bar license status; some state bar directories even allow users to confirm disciplinary history of lawyers online!
Yellow pages
Yellow pages are directories that accept paid advertisements from businesses. Yellow pages used to be an important revenue generator for phone monopoly companies prior to the Internet, so many may assume it has gone the way of print media and become obsolete; but that is far from true – many businesses still receive considerable business through it; it is simply important that users understand how best to utilize this medium.
If you plan on advertising with yellow pages, make sure you track your advertisements. Ask customers which page of the book they found your number on and where in the directory it can be found; this way you’ll be able to assess how effective your campaign was.
Checking an attorney’s social media profiles may give an idea of their ability to connect with their clients, while checking if they offer free consultations can save both time and money.
Referral services
Referral services are businesses that match callers with lawyers. Such referral services may be organized through state or local bar associations as public services; however, private ones may also operate for profit. Such services have long been around and remain an invaluable way of finding legal help.
An effective referral service must operate in the public interest and offer clients information regarding government and consumer agencies that can assist them, in addition to referrals for legal service providers such as lawyers, pro bono programs or legal service providers. It must make reasonable efforts to verify experience and credentials of lawyers it refers to its clients.
Your attorney search options could include your state or local bar association, online directories of attorneys, recommendations from friends and family and even sliding fee arrangements that correspond with income levels.