An individual who has a legal problem hopes to get the best legal advice and representation available in their community at a cost they can afford. Hiring an attorney can help a person protect their rights and duties. One of the first things someone needs to consider is the type of lawyer they need for the task or problem they have.
The law affects many different areas of our lives, and there are many different kinds of lawyers. They do not all have the same background and practice area focuses. For example, if a person needs an estate plan, they want a lawyer with the education and experience to give them the best estate plan possible. In addition, their estate plan lawyer would need to draft all the documents they need to put the estate plan into effect.
An individual who needs an estate plan would not want to hire a lawyer who focuses almost exclusively on representing individuals who are getting divorced or a lawyer who mostly represents clients who have been charged with crimes.
So a first step in choosing the right Texas lawyer is to identify the type of lawyer an individual needs for the legal challenge they have. If an individual is not sure what type of lawyer they need, they could seek a lawyer consultation for the purpose of discussing the issue with a lawyer and identifying exactly what type of lawyer they need.
In some cases, a lawyer may be able to direct an individual to a lawyer in their community who has the experience they need for their problem or issue. A lawyer may know which lawyers in their community have the best reputations in the type of law an individual needs.
In addition, lawyers, including those at LegalMatch, can help an individual understand whether a lawyer can provide valuable advice in a given situation. Many people may not appreciate the fact that a lawyer can be of great help when they buy a business, form a partnership, deal with oppressive, unfair conduct on the part of their homeowner’s association. and the like.
It is critical that the lawyer an individual hires has the legal knowledge and experience they need to handle their issue successfully.
How Quickly Do I Need a Lawyer?
The timeline for handling a problem or issue that demands the aid of a licensed attorney is sometimes obvious. If a person is in jail, they are allowed a phone call, and they should use it to try to locate a criminal defense attorney to get them out of jail. This is clearly their first priority, and they want to act promptly.
If a court has set a date for a hearing, an individual who is required to appear at the hearing has a deadline. The date of the hearing is the deadline, and the individual wants to contact a lawyer as soon as they can in order to give the lawyer they hire enough time to prepare well and in time for the hearing.
If an individual has been served with a complaint in a civil case, they generally have 30 days to file their answer. Again, they need to find a lawyer as quickly as they can, so their lawyer has ample time to prepare and file the answer.
The failure to file an answer within the time allotted by law leads the individual to be in default. They could potentially lose the case if they do not file an answer on time.
The law also specified a time limit within which a person who wants to file a lawsuit must file it. This is called the “statute of limitations.” The time limit is not the same for every type of case, but there is a statute of limitations for every type of case. Some are quite short, e.g., only 1 or 2 years in many personal injury cases.
If an individual believes they have been wronged and may need to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for the harm done to them, they want to talk to a qualified attorney right away and not wait at the risk of missing the time period within which they can file a lawsuit.
Where Do I Begin Looking for a Lawyer?
Of course, LegalMatch.com can quickly connect an individual with a good lawyer. When interviewing a prospective lawyer, a client wants to ask them where they went to law school, when they received their Texas License to practice law, how many clients they have served who had the same problem or issue the individual has. The client can ask the lawyer to talk about a few of the similar cases they have handled and what the outcome was.
Another option is to ask a trusted lawyer with whom an individual has already worked for a referral. For example, if an individual has a lawyer who handles the legal affairs of their business, but they need a divorce lawyer, they could ask their business lawyer if they can provide a referral.
Yet another avenue an individual might take is to ask relatives, friends and colleagues for referrals to lawyers with whom they may have worked successfully in connection with the same or a similar issue.
The State Bar of Texas is an entity that licenses and regulates lawyers in Texas. The website of the State Bar of Texas offers a lawyer referral service to the public.
An individual would need to follow up by making appointments to speak to at least 2 or 3 lawyers in order to find out if the lawyer has the skills and background they need and what they feel their confidence level is with regard to the lawyer.
It is very important to ask the lawyer what they will charge and how they will bill them. Ideally, the agreement between the lawyer and the client should be in writing and should specify the services the lawyer is going to provide, the fee and the billing arrangement. In some states, the attorney-client fee agreements in certain kinds of cases must be in writing.
How To Tell if an Attorney Is Good or Not
Generally, a client wants a lawyer who has proven competence in handling the type of issue or case the client has. A client wants a lawyer who performs the tasks necessary to handle their issue or case promptly. Most clients appreciate a lawyer who can be contacted easily and who returns phone calls, text messages, and email contacts quickly.
An individual can ask people they know for recommendations. They can ask a lawyer if they can provide references. They can look an attorney up at the State Bar of Texas website or call the State Bar and ask for any information it has about an attorney’s record. In addition, a potential client should interview an attorney.
And, of course, a client should understand that they can always fire their lawyer and find a new one, although there are times when that would not be the most practical move, i.e., if a case is at a critical moment.
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What Questions Should I Ask an Attorney Before Hiring Them?
When picking a lawyer to represent them, a potential client wants to ask them to describe their experience with issues and cases like the one the client has. They might ask them to talk about a few specific cases and what result the lawyer obtained. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that lawyers are restricted in what they can say about the cases they have worked on by the attorney-client privilege.
But a lawyer should be able to give a prospective client general information about work they have done and the experience they have. They should be able to tell a prospective client what they plan to do in that client’s case.
What Are the Most Common Fee Structures Used by Lawyers in Their Fields of the Law?
There are three basic fee structures that are used by lawyers. They are the contingency fee, the flat fee, and the hourly fee.
For most cases, lawyers charge an hourly fee. They charge by the hour for the time they spend working on a client’s case, e.g., $125 per hour. They keep detailed records of the time they spend on a case and the work they performed in that period of time. They then issue a monthly bill for the total fee owed for a month’s work.
In personal injury cases, such as medical malpractice cases, lawyers charge a contingency fee. A contingency fee is a fee that represents a percentage of the amount of money the lawyer wins for the client in their case. If the lawyer succeeds in winning an award of money for their client, they are paid their percentage. If the lawyer is not successful and wins no award, then the lawyer is not paid anything.
A third common way of billing is the flat fee. In a flat fee arrangement, the lawyer specifies a total amount that the client has to pay the lawyer to achieve some legal goal. For example, a lawyer might offer to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a client and to handle all work that needs to be done until the case is concluded for $2500.
Or a lawyer might offer to prepare a complete estate plan and all the documents necessary to put it into effect for a client for $10,000.
Flat fees are usually charged in cases in which the lawyer can reliably predict how much time they would have to put into the case from beginning to end and what they would need to do. Because they can predict this, they can tell the client the total cost, i.e., the flat fee, that the client must pay to handle the case to its end.
How Much Does a Texas Lawyer Charge?
Lawyers do not all charge the same fee, whether it is a contingency, hourly or flat fee. That is because a number of factors affect their fees. Lawyers in large cities generally charge more than lawyers in small towns and rural areas. Lawyers with the best reputations in a market may charge more than lawyers who are less well known for their talents in a particular market.
When a person plans to hire a lawyer, they would ideally want to interview at least 2 or 3 and find out what their fees would be. While the fee charged is not the only factor an individual wants to consider when hiring a lawyer, it would certainly be one of them.
Should I Discuss Legal Fees Before Hiring a Lawyer?
An individual most definitely wants to discuss legal fees before hiring a lawyer. A prospective client should keep in mind that a lawyer’s fees are negotiable. In addition, they want to get their fee agreement in writing. In some states, in certain cases, written fee agreements are mandatory.
Where Should You Begin Your Search for the Right Lawyer?
An individual who thinks they may need the services of a lawyer can start by using LegalMatch.com to connect with a Texas lawyer. Even if you are not sure whether you need a lawyer, you can talk to a qualified attorney who can help you understand whether you need a lawyer, what kind of experience the lawyer needs to have, and what the lawyer can do for you.
You do not need to wonder or risk missing high-stakes deadlines. Contact a lawyer today and find out whether you need legal services, what kind, and which lawyer can best help you.
