At certain points in your life, you may face a situation in which you are required to find an appropriate law firm. No matter if you are needing to be represented and defended in court or whether you simply feel you are entitled to claim back money from damages of some sort, it’s the job of a lawyer to represent you.
Therefore, it is vitally important to find a lawyer who knows the ins and outs of legal legislation and has the ability and know-how to fight your corner. However, what is the best process of finding a Solicitor that is most suited to your specific needs and requirements?
STEP ONE – Think About What You Are Looking For
The first step, rather simply, is to consider what it is you need the specific lawyer that you hire. Are you looking for a lawyer that specialises in claims, criminal activity, work-place disputes? You should have in your mind a clear idea of what you are needing from your lawyer and what would be the most appropriate kind for you.
Some solicitors, such as those in Plymouth from Roper James offer a very specialised option. They provide a specific service: personal injury claims, but the they go further and provide support for numerous niches under that category, such as asbestos exposure, hearing loss, etc. This is very important when you have a very specific claim or situation that requires a certain amount of expertise and experience from your lawyer.
STEP TWO – Do Some Research
No matter what kind of law firm you are looking for, it is imperative that you do some online research and have a look at what different Law Firms operate within your area. This may not seem like such a big deal, but the location of the firm can make a big difference on your experience.
If a firm operates locally, there can be both upsides and downsides. As we’ve stated before, there are companies like Roper James, a Plymouth firm, who obviously act within a specific region. For somebody in that area this is useful since sometimes you can’t express exactly what you need to over the phone or skype call, and so a face to face meeting is beneficial.
However, in the case of most other regions, that may not have a local firm, opting for a larger company that operates over a wide range of regions will be more useful when getting quality service for your case.
It is important for you to check the solicitors’ websites and reach a conclusion about a number of things: first of all, whether their website is user-friendly and easily accessible. Secondly, whether it is updated reasonably regularly and, rather importantly, if it provides users with a list of the services it offers and has an in-depth description in relation to how they deal with proceedings.
Although it won’t necessarily always be the case, the overall appearance of a website and online presence often gives a subtle indication of how the organisation operates and whether or not they are harnessing the power of technology in order to make their Firm the best it can.
STEP THREE – Look At References
If you like what you see on the Solicitors’ website then it would not do any harm for you to do some more specific research that will increase your understanding and expectancy of the Firm. This could be through looking at any available case studies on their own site, articles in the media or even review sites such as Yelp, which would provide you with an unspun, honest review from those with first-hand experience of using the solicitors.
Don’t be too worried if there are one or two bad reviews, as long as the vast majority are positive then it should be worth going forward to the next stage.
STEP FOUR – Show An Interest
So, you have found a law firm you think has everything you are looking for? Great! Well now, it is time to show them that you are interested. You can either give them a call or an email to tell them that you are potentially thinking of having them legally represent you and would like some further information on how you would go about doing that.
Many solicitors will offer you a free consultation that should clearly outline the pricing and process of the work they would do for you.
STEP FIVE – Meet Them
If you had a look over their free consultation and they provided you with a clear idea of the pricing and how they would represent you then it’s probably time to let them know that you are serious and would like to meet them.
This is a hugely important part of the securing a lawyer process and it is important to remember however that just because you are there does not mean that you are obligated to hire this particular firm.
Whilst in the process of meeting the representative, it is important to get a good feel for who the organisation is and what it is they can offer you. You can judge this based on their ability to communicate and how much rapport you feel you have with them. It is crucial for this to be a worthwhile process for both parties that you trust them, and they are open with you.
STEP SIX – Make A Decision
The final stage is to, simply, make the decision and hire them. It is important however that this is done only at the time in which you feel ready and once you feel you have found the most appropriate solicitors for you.
