Questions to Ask a Potential Lawyer

Nowadays, a lot of lawyers provide free first consultation to their potential clients. If you’re looking for a lawyer, you should take advantage of this. This free consultation will help you get to know the lawyer. Thus, you can easily avoid ones that don’t work well for you.  

One of the best ways to vet a lawyer is to ask questions. So, what questions should you ask? Well, it all depends on what type of lawyer you’re hiring. Are you planning to hire a general lawyer? Are you looking for something specific, such as an Orlando immigration lawyer?  

Here are several questions to ask a potential lawyer during your first interview: 

What Are the Potential Results of My Case? 

A reliable lawyer can predict the result of your case. The lawyer shouldn’t just tell you what you want to hear. They also have to tell you the truth. There are also other related questions you can ask, such as: 

• How can I prevent a lawsuit? 
• Do you think I’m going to face huge legal issues? 

How Much Do I Have to Spend? 

The first consultation is the ideal time to talk about your budget. You will think about the response of the lawyer when you ask about the fees. This will help you determine if you can afford it. If you’re hiring a personal injury lawyer, they’ll only ask you to pay once you get your settlement.  

Other questions to ask include: 

• Can you provide an estimate of the overall cost? 
• Will there be additional expenses? 

• What is your fee structure? Is it contingency, flat fee, or per hour? 

Are There Ways I Can Use to Avoid Going to Court? 

Oftentimes, there are ways you can take to avoid going to court. An attorney can sometimes negotiate and come to a fair conclusion before the other party files a lawsuit. On several occasions, arbitration and mediation are still options you can take to avoid going to court even after they file a lawsuit.  

What Tactics Are You Going to Utilize? 

While a lot of lawyers will not go into the details of the tactics they’re going to use, he/she should offer you an overview of what he/she plans to do to help you. There are other questions you can ask. This includes: 

• Did these strategies work before? 
• How long will my case take if you use this tactic? 
• What strategy are you planning to use? What are the pros and cons of these strategies?  

How Many Cases Have You Handled Before Similar to Mine? 

It will help you figure out if the lawyer can handle your case if you ask him/her this type of question. The lawyer is probably experienced enough to handle your case if they’ve dealt with similar matters before. To make sure the lawyer is telling the truth, you should ask for references from previous clients that have the same cases as yours. There are other related questions you can ask. This includes: 

• Can you provide examples of similar cases you’ve handled? 
• When did you start handling these types of cases? 
• What forms of cases do you mainly accept? 

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