Lite Review

Is it all right to ask a lawyer career sensitive questions? The answer is yes; most especially if you are thinking of hiring one to work for or with you. As a rule, lawyers are not particularly squeamish about being asked such questions – and those who are… Well, let’s just say that a lawyer who has something to hide usually takes great pains in hiding them. However, for the few who do answer questions candidly, some may try to hide behind a half truth, or blatantly lie about cases and clients that they have (or never have) handled.

Trying to find a lawyer is very similar to hiring any paid professional to do a job. A submission of curriculum vitae is good. A letter of referral or references from trustworthy people is even better. But nothing completes the best deal more than actually talking to the lawyer face to face. Some attorneys may have reputations that precede them, for good or bad; but you really cannot tell whether or not you can work with them amicably unless you hire them, and let them start working on your case. Some legal counsels and their law firms charge a lot of money but that is not tantamount to them working on your case to the best of their abilities; or winning anything in your favor.

Your best option on finding a lawyer whom you could really work well with is to talk to him or her. You would want to schedule for an appointment when you do. Dropping by unannounced in a law firm is bad form. There are, after all, protocols to be followed.

One more thing: before you actually set off to “interview” your potential legal counselor, it would be best if you could research thoroughly on him or her first. Background checks are not uncommon these days. There are now some web applications available that make such a task quite easy to do. If however, you want a more thorough check, you could always hire other pros (private investigators, local law clerk, etc.) to do most of the leg work for you. Include in your research the history and cases (if any) of the law firm that the lawyer belongs to.

As they say, the first thing to a successful interrogation is that you have to ask questions with which answers you are already acquainted with. This is a great gauge to the lawyer’s honesty, and willingness to present you a strong front. A case that did not lean in favor of the said lawyer’s client is not synonymous to a bad case, or a bad lawyer for that matter. If the attorney you are talking to is quite candid about one or more of his failures, then you could at least see that this is a person is well grounded and will most likely present you the truth about your case.

Here is a guide set of questions to ask your potential attorney. This, by the way, is only an example of questions to ask. If you want to ask more or remove some of the questions, feel free to do so.

1. Educational background questions are okay to ask. (Pretend you do not see any of the diplomas and licenses on their walls.)
   • What law school did you graduate from? What year?
   • Any special citations or awards won? Did you finish at the top of the class?
   • What cases did you work on while still in law school?
2. Do you have any specializations? What areas do you specialize in?
3. Have you handled cases like mine before? How many? How many cases have you won in favor of your client whose cases are like mine?
4. How long do you reckon before this thing can be resolved?
5. If this case does not go particularly as we planned, what contingency measures can you give me?
6. Ask openly about his or her service rates.
   • How much will you charge me for my case?
   • How can I keep my expenses down?