Lawyers advertise practically everywhere these days which makes it easy for you to find one when you need one. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you know you need a personal injury attorney. If you or someone in your family has been arrested, you’ll be looking for a criminal defense attorney. But what happens when you buy a car and find out later that it’s a lemon? You may see dozens of lawyers advertising that they handle that type of case, but how do you know which one to choose?
Attorneys can have general practices. That means they can advertise their services for various types of legal matters even if they haven’t practiced in that area before. They can take a case they’re not familiar with and either work with another attorney who knows that area of law or try to read up on the law themselves to help you. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily do a bad job for you, but it does mean you won’t have the solid experience of an attorney who has a focused practice.
Attorneys can have general practices. That means they can advertise their services for various types of legal matters even if they haven’t practiced in that area before. They can take a case they’re not familiar with and either work with another attorney who knows that area of law or try to read up on the law themselves to help you. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily do a bad job for you, but it does mean you won’t have the solid experience of an attorney who has a focused practice.
Think of it this way. If you’re facing hefty fines from the Internal Revenue Service, you wouldn’t want to hire an attorney who mainly advertises services for personal injury or medical malpractice. You’re going to want someone who is accustomed to going up against the IRS, someone who can help you with your tax debt.
Just like you wouldn’t hire a maritime lawyer to sue your landlord for unlawful eviction, you don’t want to hire an attorney who is more versed in another area of law than what you need. If you find yourself the owner of a lemon car, an internet search will show you dozens of available lawyers, but it’s worth your time to take a few minutes and investigate that practice a little more. What is the majority of their practice area? If it’s not consumer law, you may want to keep looking.
And here’s one more thing. A big law firm isn’t necessarily a better law firm. They can have more attorneys, but if those attorneys don’t have the knowledge that one attorney who specializes does, you won’t be in better shape. So in your research for the right attorney, check more than just the size of the law firm. Review their websites. See if they have case results posted in cases that are similar to yours. If all the results and good reviews posted aren’t related to what you need, the experience might not be there. And experience is what you need, not a bigger law firm.
Just like you wouldn’t hire a maritime lawyer to sue your landlord for unlawful eviction, you don’t want to hire an attorney who is more versed in another area of law than what you need. If you find yourself the owner of a lemon car, an internet search will show you dozens of available lawyers, but it’s worth your time to take a few minutes and investigate that practice a little more. What is the majority of their practice area? If it’s not consumer law, you may want to keep looking.
And here’s one more thing. A big law firm isn’t necessarily a better law firm. They can have more attorneys, but if those attorneys don’t have the knowledge that one attorney who specializes does, you won’t be in better shape. So in your research for the right attorney, check more than just the size of the law firm. Review their websites. See if they have case results posted in cases that are similar to yours. If all the results and good reviews posted aren’t related to what you need, the experience might not be there. And experience is what you need, not a bigger law firm.
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