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Before your first
meeting with a lawyer you are interviewing, take the time to prepare
some specific questions to ask. Before you make an appointment,
ask the attorney what he or she will charge for the consultation.
Some lawyers offer a free first meeting. Others may charge a
reduced fee for the first meeting, while still others charge at their
usual hourly rate. Ask the attorney what materials you should
bring to your first meeting, such as copies of contracts, letters, or a
summons you received.
The Steinberg Law Firm does NOT charge a fee
for the first consultation.
When you arrive at the
lawyer's office for your first consultation, take a few minutes to size
up the way the office looks and the attitude of the lawyer's support
staff. Is the office neat or does it appear disorganized?
Does the receptionist greet you pleasantly and courteously, or is the
greeting surly or disinterested? Do the staff members dress
professionally? While some law offices are plush, with oriental
carpets and marble counters, others are much less grand. Keep in mind
that the lawyers at either kind of office may be equally competent - but
you can also tell a lot about the practice from this first examination.
When you finally sit down to
talk with the lawyer, give the lawyer a brief description of the nature
of your problem. Don't fall into the trap of trying to sound like
Perry Mason, using legal jargon you may have picked up from television
and books; the lawyer's unlikely to be impressed. Just tell your story
in plain English.
Answer any questions the
lawyer asks as honestly as you can, and don't try to hide information
that you think puts you in an unflattering light or weakens your case.
If your lawyer is going to help you, the lawyer has to know the whole
story; few things make a lawyer more angry than to have a client
withhold information that's pertinent to the problem.
You don't have to worry
about the lawyer revealing what you say. Unless you are talking
about a crime you intend to commit, your statements are considered
"privileged," which means they can't be disclosed by the
lawyer without your permission, even if you decide not to hire the
lawyer. However, if you take another person into the office with
you, this privilege will not apply, since by discussing your problem in
the presence of another person you have already treated it as being less
than confidential between you and the attorney. You should leave
your mother, your child, or any friends who accompanied you to the
lawyer's office in the waiting room. If the lawyer needs to talk to any
of these people, the lawyer will let you know. On the other hand,
If you bring them into the meeting, and are willing to waive the rule of
confidentiality, while you may give up confidentiality you may have
other good reasons to insist that they be present. It is your
decision and only your decision.
After you outline your
problem to the lawyer, ask how the lawyer handled similar cases in the
past. Ask how many cases the lawyer has settled, as well as how
many cases the lawyer has taken to trial.
Ask about the strategy the
lawyer will follow if you hire him or her to represent you. You
may not want to hire a lawyer whose chief strategy is to be as
confrontational and unpleasant as possible. Don't be afraid
to ask questions if the lawyer uses terms you don't understand. A
good lawyer will take the time to explain things patiently and clearly.
One important area that
needs to be discussed is that of client communications. Some lawyers
will provide their clients with virtually every piece of correspondence
in regard to a particular matter. Other lawyers communicate verbally
with their clients only when necessary and do not barrage them with
every piece of paper and minute detail in the case. Still
others minimally with their clients. Getting some of these last lawyers
to do something as simple as returning a phone call can be torturous.
If you want to be completely
informed about the progress of your case, be sure to tell the lawyer you
are interviewing about your desire for ongoing communication at your
first meeting. If the lawyer seems reluctant to comply, or tries to tell
you "that's just not the way we do things," you may want to
consider looking elsewhere for a lawyer who is more willing to meet your
expectations. Remember that the lawyer you hire works for you;
you would be surprised how many lawyers seem to have forgotten this
basic principle.
That doesn't mean your
lawyer won't have other clients, and there may be times when for one
reason or another (such as when the lawyer is in court or attending a
settlement conference), he or she won't be immediately available to
answer a phone call or explain the latest motion filed by your opponent.
But it does mean that you should be able to expect a courteous and
patient answer to your questions as soon as possible, and you should
have telephone calls returned promptly.
Good Luck. H Michael.
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