We live in a modern society where almost anything can be explained to the authorities as a milder version of what it is by a professional lawyer. The skill of that person can sometimes mean the difference between ending up in huge debts or behind bars or continuing with your life freely and without any unfortunate events.
Lawyers are appreciated for a reason, and that reason is being entirely dedicated to helping you come back from the mistakes that you’ve made, or the mistakes that someone else made. No matter what it is that you’re going through life, if it involves legal issues, you can solve it all with the right person.
This is why choosing a lawyer is such an important task, and whenever you’re doing it, you have to be very careful with your decision. Of course, they know their worth as well, so the better the skill, the higher the price.
Fortunately, if you are dedicated enough, you can find a great advocate who’s going to help you without breaking your bank, so if you already have a few in mind, here are the five most important questions that you’ll have to ask them.
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1. Are you familiar with this type of case?
Source: Family Law Solutions PLLC
Although these people go through all sorts of hell in law school, the experience still matters a lot when it comes to solving something larger. If your case is something that requires a more experienced advocate, and something very important in your life depends on it, the first question that you should ask is if they are experienced with a case of this type.
If they answer yes, ask to see some proof, and just talk a bit more about your current situation and the things that you’re expecting from them. Talk about possibilities and outcomes, a possible plan B, and everything else that can be of use.
If they answer no, it is up to you to decide whether you should continue with them or not. For smaller cases that don’t have a lot of impact in your life, you can take the risk, if the lawyer seems confident in their skills. After all, nobody was born a professional, so the newer ones have to start somewhere. The advantages in this situation are most likely going to be connected with the cost, so if you are on a budget, you don’t have an option to hire someone with a huge history of won cases.
2. Do you know any of the locals?
Source: Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors
Most people think that this doesn’t make any difference, but they are wrong. If your advocate knows the locals, and the judge, the chances of them being more confident and winning the case for you are a lot higher.
Going in a completely new environment with people who you’re not familiar with is always a challenge, and you don’t want to risk anything if this case is very important to you.
Even worse, if your lawyer doesn’t know the locals, but the other one does, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Things in the court-room aren’t biased, but when the judge knows an advocate who’s always right and has a very clean reputation, it can have a slight impact on the decision. Every detail matters, and you cannot be “too careful”.
3. What are the possible outcomes?
Source: The initial price and fees
According to Louis Law Group, if you are facing a situation connected with property claim, it is important to ask your lawyer about the possible outcomes of your case. You need to be prepared for whatever happens, and you need to have a plan for each outcome. It’s much better when you’re expecting something, so be clear and communicate with your advocate about everything that might or might not happen.
A very good example is when insurance companies don’t want to cover your damage because of natural disasters, claiming that what you’re asking for is not in their policy. Or, they can agree to cover just half of the damage, leaving you in a huge economic misbalance. If you are currently facing something like this, you are probably worried that you won’t get the hang of it, but the truth is everything can be handled with a professional lawyer.
4. The initial price and fees
Source: Attentive Investment Managers
We all know that hiring an advocate is not free, and sometimes on top of the initial price, there can be a few other expenses that people are not very familiar with. To avoid anything catching you off-guard, talk openly about the initial hire-price and all the fees that might come out in the future.
Be completely open about your budget and don’t hide anything from your lawyer, because the more they know, the safer you’ll be in the court-room. Remember that some cases can get pretty complicated and last longer than expected, and this will cause extra fees to appear, so make sure that you’re ready for them.
Also, you should always check the prices from multiple advocates, because some might charge less for the same case, but as we mentioned earlier, this will be dependent on their experience and their previous success with similar cases.
5. What details do I have to provide you with?
Source: Rideg Law Office, PLLC
When you break it down to the core, a lawyer is someone who uses the information you know, to help you get through a tough situation. This means that the more details they have, the higher the chances of winning the case are.
In property-claim scenarios, there are always some hidden details that either you or the other party are trying to hide from the public, but they also happen to be the most valuable weapons in the entire arsenal. Even if it was your fault, and you don’t want it to go in public, you have to admit your mistakes to your lawyer, because if you end up hiding something, if it comes out in the courthouse, your lawyer won’t be prepared for it.
Talk in detail about all the smaller pieces of the puzzle, and try to be as transparent as possible. In situations like these, your advocate is your best friend, so be open about everything.
