When hiring a lawyer to defend you, it’s essential that you hire a lawyer that you can trust. But just how do you tell if a lawyer is trustworthy? Below are a few good signs.
Strong web presence
Every law firm and independent lawyer should have their own website. This should be a high quality website with images of the person who will be representing you and plenty of information on their services. You should be able to find them on search engines and there shouldn’t be any negative press surrounding them. If there is no trace of a lawyer or law firm online, this is a bad sign and you should avoid working with them.
Positive reviews
It’s always worth checking out reviews left by previous clients. You can find online reviews for law firms on Google and on sites like Trustpilot. Sites like Avvo are meanwhile dedicated to reviews of legal services and are a good place to look for reviews. Check that reviews are mostly positive and these positive reviews are fairly recent. If a lawyer has no reviews, you should be wary of trusting them.
Reasonable fees
When looking for a lawyer, make sure to research fees. A good lawyer won’t try to rip you off with hidden fees and will be upfront about all costs. The best lawyers may not even charge you if they lose. This no win no fee policy could be a good reason why to choose GED lawyers as your personal injury law firm. You can find other lawyers with similar policies online. Approach different lawyers to get a variety of quotes. Be wary of suspiciously low fees, as it could mean that they’re compensating for a bad reputation.
Good communication
When initially working with a lawyer, you should consider how easy it is to communicate with them. Whether you’re seeking a California Car Repossession attorney (or elsewhere) for vehicle-related legal matters or consulting with a family law specialist about divorce proceedings, the best lawyers will constantly keep you in the loop with emails or phone calls. If you have to chase up a lawyer to find out what’s going on, this may not be a good sign. Immigration attorneys and personal injury lawyers should be equally responsive to their clients. You also need to be cautious about continuing to work with lawyers who take ages to reply to emails or take ages to return calls. Making contact with a lawyer shouldn’t be a struggle – although it’s good for a lawyer to be busy, they should still have time to talk to you even if it means that they have to arrange a phone call.
Cautious optimism
It’s important to hire a lawyer who is optimistic about being able to win your case. However, they shouldn’t be promising you the world just to get you on their side. Even lawyers with the best track records can never be certain that they will win a case or that they will be able to win you a certain amount of money – there is always a risk of surprise developments. You should be more trusting of phrases like ‘there’s a strong chance we’ll win your case’ rather than ‘I will win your case’.