It may initially seem like finding a "good attorney" is an impossible task, not to mention an oxymoron. However, not only is it
possible to find a good attorney, it is also quite easy. There are a few solid research tools that are easy to use and accessible
to anyone. The following tools will quickly point you in the direction of a competent and experienced attorney.
One of the most comprehensive tools available on the Web is a site operated by Martindale-Hubbell. Their site allows you to
search, free of charge, their directory by the attorney's name, practice area, legal memberships, years in practice, languages
spoken, law school attended, law firm and location. The directory contains over 800,000 attorney listings in the United States
alone. Attorneys listed in this volunteer directory are generally first evaluated by Martindale-Hubbell after being admitted to the
bar for at least 5 years. The attorney's peers are interviewed by a company representative and also assessed, by survey, in
their geographical area. Once the attorney's competency and ethics have been verified by their peers, they fall into one of three
ratings categories: CV, BV or AV.
According to Martindale-Hubbell's website, a rating of "CV" denotes an attorney with good-to-high legal abilities and ethics,
"BV" denotes high- to-very -high legal abilities and ethics and an "AV" rating signifies very- high-to-preeminent legal abilities
and ethics. In order to reach the highest "AV" level rating an attorney must have been admitted to the bar for 10 years or
more. As you can see, Martindale-Hubbell provides an excellent, comprehensive foundation for beginning your search for a
good attorney.
Another option is to contact your state bar association and ask for their lawyer referral service. This service is generally free to
the public and can not only help you find an attorney, but it can also assist you in narrowing down your legal issues so that you
can identify the most appropriate practice area. After identifying the appropriate practice area, you will be provided with
name(s) of attorney's near your location. In addition to providing you with the contact information of suitable attorneys, the
lawyer referral services can sometimes (check with your state bar association first) guarantee you a low fixed fee at your first
consultation; provided you used an attorney they referred you to. For instance, the Oregon State Bar Association guarantees a
first-time consultation fee of $35 (substantially less than you could pay otherwise) if you live in Oregon and can meet with the
attorney face-to-face. All fees thereafter are negotiated between you and your attorney.
A third option is to ask your friends, neighbors and coworkers if they know of anyone they could recommend to you. This option
will be most effective if your case involves commonly used legal practice areas. This is because the most common specialties
are the most likely to have been used by those you know. Most people don't have an occasion to use a patent attorney, but they
often use family law attorneys (divorce, adoption, etc.), attorneys specializing in landlord-tenant issues and criminal law. You
know you've found a winner when more than one person recommends the same attorney to you.
The last line of defense for finding a good attorney is you. If you go into a consultation and feel that you don't like the attorney's
approach, feel talked down to or just get a bad gut feeling about them, trust that instinct and leave. It's always better to start
the search over; using the four steps we just covered, than to pay potentially hefty sums of money to someone who is
ill-prepared to handle your case.
Amanda creates fresh, creative and informative web content. When she's not writing, she enjoys hiking, reading and spending
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