Most people assume that because they’re not committing a criminal activity, they won’t find themselves in a position to require legal representation, but this isn’t the case. It’s not just criminals and those who break the law who need lawyers; there are so many instances where you may well find yourself in need of someone to represent your case in court – civil or other. I highly recommend https://www.baltimoreprivateinvestigators.com.
It could be that you divorce your spouse due to family violence and need a family violence attorney to ensure items are split fairly, or that you require a law professional to represent you when it comes to deciding on childcare and custody. You may find that you get unfairly dismissed from a job or discriminated against in the workplace, or you could fall victim to an accident in a shop or on the road.
There are so many cases where you may suddenly find yourself in need of legal representation, but if you’ve never been in that position before or even given it any thought, it can be hard to know where to start. To help you feel more prepared, we’ve put together this guide on what to think about when going through the process of finding legal representation.
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Costs
One of the first things people think about when they realize they need legal help is how they’re going to finance it. Lawyers typically don’t come cheap, so if you don’t have a lot of disposable income – or any at all – it can be a worrying time. The good news is, you should never be in a position where you can’t find legal representation. Your first option is to see if you’re eligible for legal aid. If not, there are a number of alternatives to legal aid, with the main one being relying on a public attorney. They are appointed by the court overseeing your case to represent you if you cannot afford to pay for your own lawyer.
On the flip side, if you do have money spare, you will have more say on who is representing you. It’s worth noting that public attorneys are no less good at their jobs just because you’re not paying them yourself. Every attorney has undergone extensive training.
Word of mouth recommendations
The next thing you want to be looking at when enquiring about legal representation is word of mouth recommendations. These are valuable because they give you a realistic idea as to what it’s like working with a specific firm or team, allowing you filter through bias information and find out what real clients think.
Specialists in a specific field
Depending on your case, you might find it’s best to work with a specialist law firm. For example, in the case of child custody, you’ll want to go with family lawyers who have lots of experience in providing legal representation in similar cases to yours. This means they will be experts in their field and you stand a far better chance of being represented in the highest regard.
Sourcing references from previous clients
Our final tip for finding legal representation is to seek professional references from previous clients. References are not to be confused with recommendations or informal reviews – they are different. They’re a bit like employer references. Ideally, you’ll want to find two or three references in order to gauge exactly what the firm or lawyer you’re looking to hire is like. References are also a testament to their previous experience.
Summary
Finding someone to represent you legally isn’t easy and certainly shouldn’t be rushed, but hopefully these tips will give you food for thought and make the process slightly easier.
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