Nowadays, many people need to go to a lawyer to defend their own rights in court; or to advise you on a procedure you are going to carry out and in this way optimize your financial and legal resources. Whatever they are, many of these people do not know what to look for when choosing a good lawyer for their personal and/or business circumstances Law notes.
We think that choosing the lawyer that best suits your needs is vital for both parties; since the lawyer will be defending your interests and the client must trust him so that both reach a good outcome.
This legal professional has to know how to manage our consultation with unique attention and care for each case. In law, there is never a magic wand to give that advice to all people, but here we must analyze the personal circumstances of that person, the facts and the possible external agents that may occur in the following months.
It is for this reason that many people do not know how to choose a lawyer for their home or legal advice. We do not always have to choose one from our town or municipality, since lawyers can represent their clients throughout Spain and the European Union.
What elements should I look for when choosing a good lawyer?
Below we present a brief list of the tips that we consider essential to have a better choice when choosing a good lawyer and hiring their services.
1) Experience:
Lawyers, once they have completed all the current procedures to register as such in the professional association, must have at least a university degree in law, a master’s degree for access to the legal profession and; In addition, pass the state entrance exam, although the position you are going to hold is a private position.
When taking the state test, future lawyers can choose between several branches or subjects: civil and commercial law, administrative law, criminal law or labor and social security law.
Once you have passed the exam, you have access to represent in court all the people you want in any jurisdictional order: civil, administrative, criminal or social.
Theoretically, thanks to this current training, lawyers “are better trained than in previous years.” However, when choosing a lawyer it is good that he has experience in trials and knows what he is talking about . It is a factor to take into account when choosing your lawyer.
The more years you have been in the profession, the better you will know how to act in certain cases .
What about specialization? This is a good criterion for choosing a good lawyer:
Currently, it is fashionable for all professionals to super-specialize in a subject; but in the legal profession this advice is not entirely correct.
A lawyer in principle can manage all the cases he wants, since a lawyer is a defender of rights and as such, cannot specialize in only one of them.
For this reason, although it would be logical that this would be a determining factor when choosing this professional; We have to be clear that in addition to the specialization of the subject, you must know the compendium of the entire legal system.
As you all know, I am not a lawyer yet, only a legal advisor since I have not yet passed the entrance exam and the master’s degree in law (I am doing this procedure). I once went to a labor conciliation, where there were two professionals specialized in labor law. One of them threatens the other party with a possible criminal offense that the worker had allegedly committed and; that he will have prison consequences for the other party to accept his negotiations. This crime described never entailed years in prison, only a state fine and compensation for damages. In this case we see how a legal professional who lacks adequate training in criminal law is cowed by this “threat” to his client and gives in to negotiation.
This cannot happen to your lawyer. For this reason, specialization is not a criterion for selecting a good lawyer .
In my opinion, it is good for a lawyer to specialize in one or two jurisdictional orders; but may he never neglect the others . For example, in my case I want to specialize in tax law, labor law and commercial law to focus my advice to companies. However, I cannot neglect civil and criminal law. The first of them because every businessman is that person and; the second because one day he may commit a crime.
2) Select a lawyer who has a good work team:
These deficiencies that I have mentioned previously are easily corrected if the lawyer has the support of other professionals who specialize in other branches that he does not control. In these cases, he must call his colleague to make the appropriate consultation, since it was a labor conciliation prior to the trial. For example, this happens with Logo Abogados , lawyers in Vigo , who have different departments that work as a team to remedy these deficiencies.
3) Geographic proximity:
Although it does not have to be a determining factor, in most cases it is advisable to hire the services of a lawyer located in your area.
It is true that sometimes for very specific issues, we can go to a lawyer specialized in that matter. But this is only for specific issues before trials.
When it comes to ongoing advice for your company or business, it is recommended that it be close to your location to arrange personal interviews and; who can accompany you to the different procedures you must carry out.
With new technologies it is true that we can hire anyone; But if you are going to do this, keep in mind that the security of the communications made are correct . In many legal procedures we need absolute secrecy of communications. In fact, this secrecy is a right and a duty for the lawyer towards his client.
4) Establish a first contact with him:
Once you have narrowed down your decision to some law firms that meet your expectations, it is best to arrange an interview or initial consultation with them.
In that first consultation you must look for trust and empathy . See if you both understand each other or the personality of each of you will constantly clash.
In this first visit, present your case and your concerns, this way you will be able to observe how your future defender deals with the issues; What strategies does he recommend following and if you connect to handle that case. The first contact is vital to generate good expectations and be able to trust that person.
5) Budget:
When hiring any service, we not only have to look at the expectations it generates; as well as the trust it generates in us.
We also have to see if we can pay the budget that the lawyer has established for his fees or not. Here we cannot say like other websites that cheap services can be expensive. Price freedom is now a reality and each person can establish the amount they consider appropriate.
Price is never synonymous with good service . It even happens in the technological world, sometimes a device with better features costs less than another for the simple fact that it has no “brand.” Marketing also has to be paid for.
For us, it is an accessory element, although logically an element to take into account when approving a service.
6) The lawyer must generate trust:
As we have said previously, the lawyer must build trust with his client. It is a right and at the same time an obligation.
When hiring a free professional, you have to see if they are clear enough with their tax information or; It can disappear overnight.
For this reason, it is good for the lawyer to be recognized by his membership number and tax information.
If, in addition, it is someone like us who speaks in videos and is very transparent, we are going to give better feelings to clients who are looking for an advisor or lawyer for their case.
To awaken trust, you just have to talk to him and see how he treats you , what concerns he has… if he is helpful to his client… if he knows how to argue and argue… These qualities are often perceived with a glance, face to face… They are qualities personal aspects that are essential for choosing a good lawyer; I personally even consider these attitudes and aptitudes to be better qualities for a good lawyer than experience itself.
If that person is your complete trust, perfect ; But if you have any doubts that this is not the right person, go to another professional with whom you feel more comfortable and who offers you more guarantees of success.
7) Accessibility. For a good lawyer, all clients are equal:
The deontological code of our profession (I am not yet a lawyer, but I already abide by this code of conduct) requires us to treat all the cases we advise with the same respect and affection.
We are defenders of rights and equality is one of those rights that are even enshrined in the Spanish Constitution as fundamental rights.
For this reason, a good professional will treat all clients with respect and dignity, actively listen to their problems and circumstances to advise them appropriately …
If we go to a professional who has a lot of experience, is a specialist in a topic but never has time for us, then why do we hire him? In these cases it is better to look for someone who will handle your case in the most personalized way possible.
Keep in mind that despite going to a very well-known brand or law firm, your lawyer is not going to be the head of the firm (maybe or maybe not); but the person within that office that is assigned to you. He will be your defender and must maintain professional secrecy even with his own boss.
Law is a profession that must be dignified, subject to ethical principles. Keep this in mind because it is not going to be utilitarian at all to be in a law firm with a very consolidated image; If then they are going to assign you to the most inexperienced one who also lacks the good qualities to be a good lawyer.
Remember that the client is the one who must choose the lawyer; although this, as a service provider, may also not agree to be your defender. Trust must be mutual.
8) You must look for your client’s interest:
The best professional is the one who understands your concerns and will advise you based on your interests.
The lawyer should never act according to his own personal interests, but rather those of his client. It is another element that nourishes the trust placed in him as a defender of that person’s rights.
In addition, he must be loyal and will fight to the maximum so that you get the best compensation . When you have very little chance of success, he should also point this out before acting on your behalf.
9) Look for references:
Now you are clear that the best element you have to take into account is that the lawyer acts with due diligence, is loyal to your cause and generates mutual trust .
To know this, you only have to analyze their behavior, but you can also ask family, friends and people who know that they are their client before hiring their services.
In the digital age we can also turn to reviews that exist on the Internet. There are multiple channels to know if this is a person who complies with the principles that he promulgates on his social networks.
If you interact on social networks, write on a blog providing highly valuable content or; Even showing his face on YouTube are indicative to determine the degree of involvement with the profession. In my case, it goes without saying that I love helping others.
10) Have you been successful in similar cases?
This point complements the first of the experience, but this time something more concrete. It is about finding out if these lawyers have taken and managed similar cases and; What has been your success factor against them.
For example, a good labor lawyer can be very good in the case of unfair dismissals, but in a case of mobbing or workplace harassment, get a little lost, despite being from the same branch of law; although it is normally more common to find this when they are dealing with totally different subjects.
To give you an idea, there are basically four jurisdictional orders facing the courts:
Civil and commercial : they defend private law.
Normally there are lawyers specialized in family law and; others in company law. The latter control more commercial relations and contractual relations; while family ones are more about kinship relationships…
Administrative : it is the defense against litigation that arises against the public administration.
Criminal : these are trials where crimes have been committed.
Social : it is the jurisdiction of labor law and social protection.
Problem: specialties cross jurisdictional boundaries
The problem with this classification is that in many cases there are lawyers specialized in companies. These must control:
1) Civil law for contractual relations and civil liability;
2) Commercial law for relationships between companies;
3) Tax and financial law for taxation (specialty of administrative law) and for public bidding issues if this is the case of that company;
4) Criminal law regarding crimes against the public Administration and Patrimonial crimes.
5) Labor law and social protection.
Likewise, a lawyer specialized in family law is logical to control property criminal offenses, gender violence and domestic crimes. This element must also be taken into account when choosing a good lawyer.
11) Don’t speak very technical language
A good lawyer must know how to adapt his communication according to the demands at all times. During the trial you must be technical and precise; But when the client gets lost in his strategy or in his communication, he must know how to explain the same things as if it were a small child.
You must be a good speaker, but also a good teacher ; since many controversies between lawyers and his clients are because they do not know how to explain their technical knowledge to their clients; causing distrust on his part .
Conclusions on how to choose a good lawyer
We understand that to choose a good lawyer, it is necessary to take into consideration the points explained above; although logically we can make this list of tips longer. For us, the most important thing is that it is a person who fights for your interests, answers your calls, is close, but professional and; Above all, it generates a lot of confidence and explains all the strategies that you are going to follow in detail.