While it is important to have an attorney that you can trust, it is equally important that he or she has extensive experience in the area of law for which you require their services. For example, you should you use an attorney with estate planning experience to draft your will, a divorce attorney to draft divorce papers and a trial lawyer to defend you in a criminal case. General practitioners are good for basic real estate transactions, or other non-complex matter, but their lack of detailed knowledge and experience in a given field can hurt your case.
Consider the Size of the Firm You’d Be Dealing With
There are advantages to hiring a lawyer from a small firm. In most cases, you receive personalized, prompt attention. In addition, the lawyer representing you will probably have a fairly large amount of time to dedicate to your case. This may not be the situation at large firms, where attorneys must often juggle numerous cases and may have many responsibilities to the firm and its partners that could draw their attention away from your needs.
Is the Attorney a Published Author in the Area of Estate Planning? Ask each attorney if they have a book, have published articles or a web site with relevant information they have written so that you can find out more about his or her qualifications and experience before you walk in the door. Forget Fancy Slogans and Hype: Slogans like we care for you, we help you avoid probate or we help you protect your assets are absolutely meaningless. After all, arent these the things that you would expect from your estate planning attorney?
Visit websites of attorneys and law firms. Once you have the names of some attorneys or firms you’re interested in pursuing, check out their website to research further into their background and practice.
Keep in mind that an attorney’s website is also a marketing tool. You are seeing what he wants you to see, so the things he chooses to emphasize or promote on his website give you a good idea of his interests and his professional comfort zone.
Look at any background or biographical information the attorney has listed. You not only want to review this for experience and education in estate planning, you also want to see if the attorney seems like someone you can relate to. For example, maybe you have a beagle, and you notice on one attorney’s bio page that he says he breeds beagles. Since your estate planner will likely be in your life for a long time, it can be important to have common interests.
Pay attention to the attorney’s social media presence. If she has active social media accounts that are updated regularly, or runs a blog where she regularly posts about new developments in the law, you can be assured that she is responsive to her clients and keeps up-to-date on important issues in her practice area.
Looking for a Estate planning attorney in Sacramento area ? The Law Offices of Brian D. Russ is a full-service law firm serving clients throughout the Sacramento region in estate planning and general litigation support. Brian earned his Juris Doctorate from the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. Brian passed the California bar on his first attempt and is licensed to practice law in California (Bar #318281).. Call or text me today to discuss your situation: (916) 750-5155. Or send me an email at brian@brianrusslaw.com.
