The amount of attorneys practicing law today is significant and it’s only going to grow exponentially as the years go on. This state of affairs makes the process of evaluating each individual attorney that much more difficult. When choosing a lawyer, you will be faced with a lengthy list of legal professionals for each specialty. Your job is to pick the ones that look the best and then narrow your list down from there. Odds are the attorney you choose will seem strange to someone who isn’t looking at the situation from your perspective.
Below are 3 qualities you should look for in your ideal attorney.
Ability to Exceed Expectations
Your ideal attorney should either perform at higher level than their price might convey or be willing to put in extra hours for the sake of your case without putting your budget in jeopardy. The worth of attorney should not hinge upon the price that they charge. Price is a variable that’s subject to so many things that could be out of the attorney’s control. Some of it has to deal with an attorney’s experience and credentials while some of it is probably the result of market conditions as well as the attorney’s caseload.
Determining how well an attorney will perform is difficult unless you see them in action in the courtroom. A lot of attorneys do their best to work out a settlement agreement before a case ever goes to trial. This approach should not be seen as a sign of weakness. Cases become increasingly more contentious once they go to trial and as the trial progresses. It’s better to stop this battle from happening early as long as the terms of the settlement are advantageous to the client.
Working as a Teammate
The struggles that someone is going through when they find themselves in a position where they have to hire an attorney are not for the faint of heart. For that reason, you attorney needs to be willing to work alongside you as a teammate. There are attorneys who look at the plight of their client as a challenge and the client themselves as someone who’s clueless as to what’s going on. In order for a client-attorney relationship to be successful, the attorney should respect their client and vice versa. Everyone involved must do everything they can to ensure that the case ends with a desirable result.
Willing to Stay the Course
It’s nearly impossible to tell how long a legal battle will last. A great attorney has to be willing to stick around to see a case through to the end or handle any developments that might come later. An attorney’s caseload can often affect their level of involvement in a particular case. Attorneys who have too many cases will want to move on to their other cases. Legal professionals with lighter caseloads will fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. Your goal should be to find an attorney who’s both in demand and willing to devote the time that your case needs.
