It’s better to take your time looking for the best attorney when you’re faced with civil or criminal legal proceedings instead of hiring one hurriedly and regretting your actions later. For this reason, it’s important that you know a few good questions to ask when hiring an attorney, so you don’t have to make a bad choice.
5 Top Questions to Ask When Hiring an Attorney
Here are the five most important questions to ask when hiring an attorney:
#1 – Are you a generalist or a specialist?
On the one hand, generalist attorneys are considered the jack of all trades because they deal with a wide range of areas of law. They’re knowledgeable about all aspects of the law but with limited depth in a certain area. On the other hand, specialist attorneys focus on being well-versed in just one aspect of the law. They know the ins and outs of their own specialization and can do better than generalists in that particular area because that’s their focus. Specialists generally focus on each of the following branches of the legal profession: bankruptcy law, business or corporate law, civil rights law, criminal law, defense attorney, prosecuting attorney, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, real estate law, and tax law.
#2 – How long have you been practicing?
Experience is another thing that matters when hiring an attorney. For example, there’s a huge difference between a lawyer who has just been called to the bar and another lawyer with just one year of experience in the legal profession, because the latter will likely have more experience than the former. So, it makes absolute sense to ask your attorney the number of years they’ve been able to put into practice before hiring them.
#3 – Do you have prior experience with cases similar to mine?
The length of time spent in legal practice isn’t just the only thing that matters, but prior experience in a similar case. If your attorney has previous experience in handling cases similar to your own, chances are that they’ve got some more experience in that particular area and would definitely deliver, all things being equal. If they don’t, that’s simply a red flag for you to look elsewhere and save yourself the headache of dealing with an inexperienced attorney.
#4 – What is the likely outcome in my case?
If you ask a good attorney, they should be able to tell you how your case would pan out to help you know what to do next. So, a good lawyer should be able to sit down with you and tell you your strengths and weaknesses in a case and how to go about it for you to have a favorable outcome.
#5 – Is there any other way to solve my problem?
Ask your attorney if there’s any other way to solve your own problem, because one legal problem may have more than one legal solution. Your attorney should be able to point this out early on, so you don’t have to waste your resources chasing shadows. Sometimes, arbitration or an out-of-court settlement is just the thing you need rather than a long-drawn-out and often costly legal battle.
The five most important questions to ask when hiring an attorney are as follows: “1) Are you a generalist or a specialist? 2) How long have you been practicing? 3) Do you have prior experience with cases similar to mine? 4) What is the likely outcome in my case? and 5) Is there any other way to solve my problem?”
How Hasina Lewis Can Help
Lewis Law is a reputable law firm in Virginia that specializes in criminal cases like arson, assault and battery, drug possession and distribution, fraud and forgery, malicious wounding, marijuana possession, petit and grand larceny, possession and concealment of firearms and other dangerous weapons, probation violations, prostitution, and robbery.
Lewis Law has won over 94% of cases in more than 1,000 court appearances and succeeded in securing the reduction of the sentences in over 340 of those cases. We’re an experienced and innovative criminal defense and personal injury law firm in Northern Virginia.
Get your free consultation today. For more information or inquiries, call our toll-free number (703) 591-4507 or visit our office at 3925 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 202, Fairfax, VA 22030.
