Finding a Lawyer that Works for You!

People need a lawyer in one of two circumstances - 1) they are in a moment of great importance where the outcome is uncertain; or, 2) they have a routine event that probably involves (or may involve) a significant amount of money but the end is clear. This article will deal with the routine events. Routine events are important to you but you know the outcome that serves your needs. They are occurrences such as:

· Buying or selling a house

· Getting a will done

· Probating an estate

· Putting a security document in place

· Getting a promissory note done

In each case you have a good idea of what the end is and you need a lawyer to get to that end. In some cases sophisticated clients may do without a lawyer (for example, getting a promissory note or drafting a will using a will kit). In those cases the client is making the determination that they are prepared to bear the risk of the transaction not being completed correctly in return for saving the related legal fees.

In these matters the process that you will go through at the lawyer's office is relatively straightforward and will usually be carried out by a paralegal. Your interaction with the lawyer on the file will be relatively limited unless something goes wrong. Legal fees (although there may be other costs of registrations and taxes) will be relatively low and will probably be in the hundreds. Lawyers in these areas generally do a high volume of transactions and deliver a commodity service.

The first step in the process is to know what you want done. Are you looking for one will or two? Are you refinancing a house or selling and buying? Once you have figured that out then the two main factors, as with any commodity, are convenience and price. If your work allows you to get out of the office during the day then you can look for lawyers who are close to your office and home. Regardless of where you are looking one of the things that you want to know is whether the lawyer's office hours suit your schedule as it is certain you are going to have to go to the office at least twice.

Having decided where you are going to look then your next tool is the phone book and internet. Look for the item that you want to have done and see whether there are any lawyers that are convenient to you who carry out those transactions. Lawyers who are providing commodity type services will identify themselves with those commodities - you are likely going to get your best price with a smaller firm (under ten lawyers).

Other professionals that you deal with can be good sources of information. Often your realtor, banker, or investment advisor has previously referred clients to a lawyer and will have a sense of who has provided good service. If none of these sources work then often there is a broad referral service like Lawyers.com.

Your objective is to come up with three lawyers who are conveniently located for you. Then it is a matter of getting on the phone and calling each one to get an idea of the price points. Remember that you are dealing with a commodity service that is provided in volume. When you call each office explain the nature of the transaction that you want to complete and ask them to provide you with a price range. This may require them to transfer you from reception to a paralegal but it should not be necessary to go to the office to find out how much these services cost. If you have special needs (linguistic or disability) then this is also the time to get confirmation that this lawyer can provide the services you need.

Once you have your prices then I suggest that you start with the lowest price lawyer that is convenient for you. Call to set up an appointment to proceed with the transaction. Often the first appointment will be with a paralegal who will do all of the intake work with respect to the file. If, during this first conversation or when you show up at the office, you feel uncomfortable or the office seems disorganized then feel free to move on to the next lawyer. These are high volume services and if the office does not seem well organized they are not likely going to provide you the services that you want.