There’s no shortage of lawyers in the United States. At over 1.1 million, there’s one for every 265 people. Hopefully you’ll never find yourself in a court battle, but sooner or later you’ll probably still need to hire a lawyer.
Turns out, you may not always need a lawyer. Websites like Legalzoom.com help you with basic legal documents and Nolo.com offers software solutions.
If you do need a lawyer, start by making a list of candidates. Ask friends for referrals and check sites like Matindale Hubble a free site where lawyers evaluate each other.
Attorney Nathan Zitt tells Money Talks News; once you’ve narrowed down your list, meet with all of your potential litigators.
“If I were hiring an attorney, I would visit as many attorneys as I could possibly find in order to get the right fit,” Zitt adds. He goes on to say by interviewing candidates, you’ll end up saving a lot of time, money and energy.
Now, talk about cost. Zitt says many fees can be negotiated. “Smaller firms and solo practitioners have a lot more flexibility in what they can charge. And remember a legal fee is almost always negotiable.” Staying organized by writing down things you would like to ask your attorney and keep an eye on the clock. Chit chatting with your lawyer at 350 per hour is not going to save you anything.
If you want to keep your legal costs down and your success rate up, what you want to do is meet with lots of lawyers, make sure you get the right one, know what the cost is and then manage that relationship well.
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