Call or e-mail for a copy of my handbook “The Consumer’s Guide to Choosing a Lawyer.”
There are many lawyers out there, and choosing the right one can be very difficult. Of course, I hope that you consider choosing my office to assist you. But whether you choose myself or another lawyer, there are some basic guidelines that I think everyone would agree with:
Your lawyer’s job is to help you understand your rights and obligations in a given situation, help you to decide how you would like the situation to be resolved, and then to help you reach that resolution. Your lawyer can only do this by listening to you and understanding you and your situation. You lawyer must be a good listener before he or she can be a good advocate. I use the title “attorney and counselor at law” because I believe that counseling my clients is a fundamental part of my role as a lawyer.
Lawyers can rarely guarantee any result or outcome. Legal proceedings are complex and very difficult to predict. Your lawyer should always be honest with you about the possibility that you may not be able to achieve the result you want. Any lawyer who guarantees success without analyzing your case, promises that he or she can always get you more money than other lawyers, or fails to inform you of the possibility that things may not go your way is doing you a disservice, and is probably acting unethically.
You should not choose a lawyer solely on the basis of price. When you are sick, you do not try to find the cheapest doctor in town, and for good reason. Your lawyer’s fees should be based on his or her availability and expertise, and on the complexity of the matter. A good lawyer is worth every penny. A bad lawyer can make a bad situation worse.
You should choose a lawyer on the basis of his or her desire and ability to help you, and his or her experience, qualifications and reputation. Your lawyer should be accessible to you, and should readily answer any questions that you have. Your gut feeling can tell you a great deal.
You should like your lawyer. Some lawyers seem to have learned their social skills watching professional wrestling. The practice of law is not about brute force, it is about thoughtful, passionate advocacy. Lawyers who are abrasive, arrogant and rude do not get the best results. Judges don’t like them. Neither do juries.
You should trust your lawyer. When I interview a prospective client, one of the primary questions in my mind is: do I believe this person? Because if I do not believe them, neither will a jury. The same is true for lawyers. If your lawyer comes off as slick and fast-talking during your consultation he or she will probably give the jury the same impression.
George Barron, Esquire
88 North Franklin Street
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18701
Telephone (570) 824-3088
Fax: (570) 825-6675
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