No matter if you needed to hire a legal representative before or if it’s your first time seeking such services, you should know that finding the right lawyer could be time-consuming and daunting. And, if your claim is serious, it could easily be even more daunting for you to discover an individual that is suitable for the job.

However, in order for you to determine whether or not a lawyer can successfully deal with your situation, there are some questions that you could ask them, all of which will help you determine if they’re suitable for you. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the things you need to ask when meeting with a potential candidate:

1. Are You Going to Personally Represent Me?

As you might already know, large law companies most commonly have a few lawyers handling one case, which is why you must ask whether or not the lawyer you’re talking to will personally represent you. Why should you do this? Well, you’ll want to know to whom you’ll speak about the progress, but more importantly, you’ll get to know the person that will be representing you in front of the judge and jury, something that is quite important for your situation.

2. Do You Frequently go to Trials?

If you did some digging online, you might have learned that a lot of criminal defense lawyers settle different claims through please, and in most circumstances, they don’t have a lot of experience and knowledge when going to trials. If you think that your problem is even a bit complex, you’ll definitely want to learn whether or not a specific candidate has experienced going to court. After all, you’ll need someone who is skilled instead of someone that opt for a plea bargain.

3. What Are You Skilled in?

This is one of the things a lot of individuals overlook and neglect to ask. Just because a person is a criminal defense lawyer, it doesn’t mean that they know everything about each type of crime. Different attorneys might concentrate on crimes related to drugs, some might deal with violent crimes, while others might only handle cases related to theft. Hence, you should definitely ensure that you hire someone that is skilled with the offense you committed.

4. For How Long Have You Worked For?

Now, you shouldn’t think that there is anything improper with opting for a person that has just started working as an attorney, however, if your problem is serious, you may want to hire someone that has real knowledge. After all, there isn’t an alternative for someone who has spent years in court compared to someone that has been there twice in life. So, when talking to potential candidates, you should learn for how long they have been working.

5. What is Their Fee Policy?

Trust me when I say this, there are various fee systems that you may come across. For instance, a personal injury solicitor most commonly operates on a probability rule, while others might charge an hourly fee while asking you for an upfront payment. For you, it’s important to ask and learn what kind of fee arrangement a company offers, especially since you won’t want to hire someone just to receive a five-figure bill in the end.

6. How Much Will I Spend For Your Services?

Of course, this is something that looks completely logical, however, according to the experts, you have no idea how many individuals neglect to ask this question right until the moment they need to sign an agreement. Hence, this question should be one of the first things you should inquire about, especially since it’ll allow you to compare different offers, and more importantly, it’ll allow you to hire someone that is within your budget.

7. Are There Any Additional Charges That I Must Pay?

If it happens that your claim goes to trial, you’ll probably need some specialists to testify – and if so, you should know that they’re not inexpensive. Besides this, it’ll also cost extra if you have to make accusations, claims, and motions. Because of this, you should ask the potential candidate about whether or not all of these expenses are included in the price or if you need to pay extra for them. In the end, it’s crucial for you to know how much you’ll have to spend.

8. What Could You Do Achieve For me?

Now, you’re not a lawyer, however, that doesn’t mean that you cannot do some things that otherwise a solicitor would do, which means that you should definitely ask this question. Why? Well, if the lawyer cannot disclose to your why their services can assist you, what they’ll do, as well as why you have their help, it might not be a suitable choice for your case. On the other hand, if they can easily explain these things, you should seriously consider hiring them.

9. How Frequently Will We Talk?

Staying updated on your progress is, perhaps, one of the most important pieces of information that you could ensure. And most people that hire a solicitor that is reliable, knowledgeable, and skilled, don’t hear from them often – which is something that you’ll definitely want to avoid. This is why you must guarantee that you hire someone who will have the time to constantly update you on the progress of your case, meaning that you should hire someone who will find the time for you.

10. What do I Have to do?

Once you’re done with asking all the aforementioned questions, the last – but not less important – a question that you must ask is what do you have to do. Sometimes, you’ll be required to submit documents and evidence that will aid with building your case, while in other situations, you may have to reveal certain things to a solicitor. Hence, you should definitely ask what they’re expecting you to do since this will enable you to organize yourself properly.

Conclusion

By now, you know that there is a wide range of questions that you’ll need to ask a potential criminal attorney for your case. And, if you choose to use some of the questions mentioned in the article above, you’ll be able to make the entire choosing process easier, less time-consuming, and more importantly, you’ll ensure that you choose the right legal representative.

So, now that you have learned what questions you’ll have to ask potential candidates, you might not want to lose any more time. Instead, you should open up your browser, choose a few candidates, schedule free consultations with them, and after that start asking the questions above in order to make the right decision.