Allow me to start by saying that do-it-yourself lawyering has its limits. Surely, you are able to draft contracts on your own, you are able to survive gruesome negotiations with your organization clients, you are able to settle a marital dispute among yourselves nevertheless when the necessity to come calmly to court arises, you have to get a lawyer. Expenses will undoubtedly be incurred, professional fees must be paid and the usually lengthy process must be endured. More often than not, the expenses of resolving a challenge are far higher than the expenses of avoiding the problem. Prevention, reported by users, is obviously much better than cure. So hire a lawyer and hire an excellent one.
Qualifications
The “practice of law” is loosely defined as ministering to the legal needs of another person by the application form of legal principles and knowledge with a person trained in the law. By this definition however, a paralegal or possibly a secretary who has knowledge of the laws, who has been “trained” by the sheer fact of having been employed for a period of time in a law firm, is recognized as engaged in the practice of law. When finding a lawyer therefore, choose a “qualified” lawyer. Meaning, make sure that your lawyer has successfully completed his law course, has successfully passed the bar examinations and is licensed to apply in the very jurisdiction in which a particular legal relief is asked for. When facing a legal dispute, the last thing you’ll need is a fake lawyer. It is perfectly ethical to request a lawyer license before you even begin to talk about your innermost secrets with them. Normally though, they’d hang their certifications on the wall.
Expertise
Every qualified lawyer has their own expertise. He might be a specialist in virtually any one of many following kinds of law: international law, labor law, civil law, taxation law, litigation, or criminal law. These are the major categories. Thus, you may hear of a litigation lawyer or an immigration lawyer. lawyer Note however, that lawyers’ specializations are “acquired” through experience, not since they think they are great at it.
Personal Qualities
This is one aspect of lawyering in which a young, inexperienced lawyer can actually get before a skilled one. Young lawyers are usually vibrant, supportive and sympathetic. They tend to deal with their clients like their babies. They take care of every little detail, even the unimportant ones. But this exactly is how paying clients desire to be treated. Clients tend to feel that they are getting their money’s worth with the sort of attention they are getting.
The non-public qualities to find in a lawyer depend greatly on the sort of client you are. If you should be the no-nonsense type, you may choose to hire an older, retirable lawyer. These types of lawyer are less thinking about that which you need to say. Sometimes, they are not even thinking about what they have to say. Lawyering has become a routine for them, similar to brushing their teeth in the morning. But their experience is impeccable. Their strategies are tried and tested so your chance at winning your case is considerably high if you obtain them.
So at this point you have a qualified, expert and credible lawyer having the private qualities you look for. The next thing to consider is whether that lawyer is available to attend to your problem. More often than not, your lawyer will say that he is willing, able and happy to assist you. Behold, he explained the same thing a number of others this morning, and the other day, and the week before that. The point is, a lawyer can only just do this much. He can’t be attending hearings all at the same time. He could possibly resort to cancelling or rescheduling hearings and important meetings to make ends meet. If your chosen lawyer has a law firm, there may certainly be other lawyers who will attend for your requirements in case he’s not available. You may find this acceptable but not until your case has been reassigned in one hand to another.
Having a “professional” lawyer is indeed much distinctive from a having a lawyer who was able to “appear” professional. They claim that lawyering is 80% representation. The representation begins when you meet your client. A lawyer would normally give you the “lawyer look”— wears a suit, clean-cut, drives a black luxury car, and brings a suit case. This, however, isn’t what defines professionalism. Professionalism means your lawyer does attend to your needs, makes his research, beats the deadlines, and returns your phone calls. So don’t be fooled by the lawyer-look alone. It will be great if your lawyer can pull it off with the lawyer look and the genuine professionalism though.