Hiring a lawyer is necessary if you are in any sort of legal dilemma and trouble, it’s just easier and more efficient to let a professional do their job. But with that being said, you should be extremely careful about who you hire, especially if you have a serious case on your hands, you want it to be dealt with correctly. So here are some qualities of a good lawyer and what to look for when hiring! 

Experience

Obviously, the best thing you can hope for in a time of crisis is an experienced lawyer who knows exactly how to help you! In order to get the best legal advice, you’ll need to ask those who have already gone through a similar situation - so seek a lawyer who has worked on similar cases like yours! Doing a bit of research before hiring the person is the best thing you can do to ensure that the lawyer in question is the right person for you! Nothing beats knowledge and years of experience, so use that to your advantage! 

Compassion

Lawyers are there to help people and bring them justice, it’s safe to say that most people from this field are extremely empathetic, and there to help others. So compassion and law go hand in hand, a good lawyer is kind to their clients and understands them on a deep level. Obviously, the line between personal and professional should never be crossed, but your lawyer should always offer support and compassion when you’re going through something like a legal battle! You should always feel like you have someone to fall back on! On the other hand, someone who is just too cold and distant might not be the best pick for you, but it all depends on your personal preference! 

Honesty

Dealing with legal issues is never fun, but it’s better to know the truth and be prepared for worse than have your hopes up! Finding an honest lawyer who will be upfront about everything, is such an important thing - not only when it comes to finances, but the case progresses in general. You’ll always want to hear the success rate and if you have any chance of reaching your goal. Someone who won’t disclose this is bad news, as well as those who sugar coat it and get your hopes up! It’s best that you know the truth, so you won’t get surprised by the outcome, the last thing you want in this situation is to think that you are heading in a positive direction whilst you are not!

Good communication skills

In order to establish a relationship with your desired lawyer, you’ll need to have good communication with them first. A lawyer with a set of soft skills is much needed, no matter what kind of case you are working on. You’ll notice that the more openly you talk to them, the better you understand the situation - not to mention that the two of you need to be on the same page about everything! So when you set an appointment to talk to your desired lawyer, make sure they are a good communicator before you hire them! 

Availability

A lawyer who is available and willing to answer your calls and emails is one to keep! During and case and trial, expect to have a lot of questions and concerns, obviously, in those moments, you want to ask someone for a declaration! A good lawyer will always jump in to explain and reassure you about things multiple times if he has to! If you notice that he is not answering your calls or emails and that he is extremely distant, you should definitely search for someone more available and capable of filling your needs! 

Organization and ability

A good lawyer will take your case extremely seriously and focus on every little detail - this goes hand in hand with being organized and not losing crucial things about the case in the first place. Things, evidence, data, and documentation are oftentimes misplaced, destroyed, lost, and it can derail the case by a lot. A trustworthy, well-organized lawyer would never let that happen, you can check this out by simply going to their office for a consultation and checking if the palace itself is messy and disorganized. Chances are the lawyer is not much different than the environment they work in! 

Researching skills 

Every case is unique and different, no matter how intricate or how basic it might be - your case is still unique! This means that your lawyer needs to do research, even an experienced professional needs to do a bit of research before compiling a strong case, especially if it’s extremely specific and involves a multitude of things!  
At the end of the day, as long as you stick to a well-known law firm and work with experienced lawyers, you have nothing to lose! If you have a tough case on your hands, you should never experiment with new lawyers, but rather work with those who are proven to be good, so you’ll know what to expect!

WRITTEN BY

Sophie H.