HOW TO SELECT A LAWYER?
The inquiry turns out to be the manner by which to choose an attorney. This article gives understanding, from a legal counsellor’s point of view, on the most proficient method to explore and choose the best legal advisor for you.
The hits just below the paid advertisements are not always the”best” attorneys; they are just the ones with the best SEO. It might be because their site is full of valuable content, rich in keywords, or it might be because they invested heavily in electronic marketing. This isn’t necessarily the person who you need to employ.
To clarify, I am not advising you against hiring someone with good SEO; I’m advising you not to employ someone just because they’re on top of the page. Fantastic search placement just means this individual has money to burn.
Personality aside, you wish to employ a lawyer who’s competent and experienced in your field of concern. You do not want to cover your lawyer’s education, therefore ask the lawyer if he or she has worked on your issue before, how many times and with what results. Figure out the character of your legal requirement (i.e., employment, contract, regulatory, insurance, real estate), and look for a lawyer in which area of practice.
Locate a specialist whenever possible. Also, you want to ask about the lawyer’s availability. Does the attorney have the opportunity to give attention to your matter and what is the turnaround time? I’m a business attorney. I do litigation and transactional work. This often bleeds into related areas, such as property, consumer and employment law, but I stay in my lane. I will not touch a family or criminal dilemma with a 10-foot pole. Maybe don’t hire a real estate planner to litigate your contract dispute?
Perhaps do not hire a criminal defence lawyer to file your trademark application? Do not be shy to ask about the anticipated cost of your project. Ask the lawyer whether the job is much more conducive to flat rate or hourly and ask a quotation. I’ll quote a job immediately if the thing is simple. If it’s more complicated I’ll think it over and also submit a written proposal.
I suggest you tap your system and seek a referral. Word of mouth is the best marketing, and a recommendation states a lot more about a person’s proficiency than their SEO. It is a terrific way to construct a relationship, plus the attorney should raise his or her match since they will feel more accountability.
The top hits of each web search are paid advertising placements. Those lawyers are paying for all those placements, plus they pay per click. The individual at the top of the list isn’t necessarily the one you would like to employ.
Do not be afraid to interview numerous attorneys while seeking the best fit. Find the ideal balance between chemistry, expertise and price. I’m not offended when prospective customers disclose they are interviewing other candidates. I tell them to go with their gut and employ whomever they believe to be the best person for the job. I don’t advise attempting to put attorneys in a bidding war. Only go with the person who offers the best value and results in your wealth.
HOW TO SELECT A LAWYER – HOW TO RESEARCH ATTORNEYS
Attorneys are licensed by the State Bar, and information concerning all attorneys’ licensing is a public document. Here you may locate the attorney’s contact information, how long they’ve been practising, in which they went into college (undergrad and regulation ) and if they’ve been subject to disciplinary action.
To research African attorneys, go to the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU). On one hand, you would like to probe the lawyer’s experience and competency for your legal matter. On the other hand, you do not wish to come across as seeking free legal advice. It is unwise for any lawyer to offer feedback with incomplete information and never have first been kept. Lawyers and clients have a tendency to take after every other. In my years of litigating disputes,
I’ve begun to learn that attorneys and their clients frequently appeared to share values and personalities. Hire somebody who makes you feel comfy, who listens to you personally and does not talk over you and control the conversation. You might be working together for a very long time, so only hire someone you prefer and trust.
Let us presume you decided you need to hire counsel to help with some aspect of your enterprise. I could be biased, but I believe that is a fantastic decision! I firmly believe in assigning out different functions of your company which are outside your realm of expertise, especially legal matters. The question becomes just how to pick a lawyer. This article offers insight, from a lawyer’s perspective, on the way to research and select the very best attorney for you.
HOW TO SELECT A LAWYER – CONSIDER YOUR LEGAL NEEDS
Attorneys are educated on a wide array of legal theories. Law schools need us to take classes across the spectrum just to graduate, and the bar exam tests us on a broad and rotating list of the subject matter. However, once we enter the real world lawyers, like doctors, become specialists. Would you rather hire a lawyer who understands a little about several practice areas, insignificant to you or even someone who’s a professional in your area of need? Do not be afraid to ask the lawyer for references. You really don’t want this if the lawyer came from a referral, along with the need for references actually depends on the seriousness or complexity of the undertaking.
A simple contract or trademark filing likely does not warrant references, but a heavy litigation case should. I have had a couple of prospective clients request references out of me and was happy to comply because I respected their diligence. You might also search the lawyer’s name online. It would be helpful to include terms such as”California lawyer,” and the person’s full name in quote marks. With this, take what you find online with a grain of salt (aside from disciplinary records) and consider the origin. For any criticism, you will find there’s obviously more to the story and also another standpoint.
HOW TO SELECT A LAWYER – HOW TO INTERVIEW ATTORNEYS
You definitely should interview your potential attorney prior to making a hiring decision. The interview serves multiple purposes, the most important being whether you’re a match for one another and whether the attorney has the requisite experience. Another resource is the county’s local bar association. Most counties have bar associations, that are separate from the country bar (a governmental certification agency), where lawyers voluntarily pay for membership. These institutions often have lawyer referral services, where you are able to connect with lawyers experienced in your area of need. For example, UAE County, visit Professional Lawyers
HOW TO SELECT A LAWYER – What the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) does
PALU works in partnership with a range of governmental and non-governmental actors to achieve shared goals and objectives. PALU’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Donald Deya, chairs the Centre for Citizens’ Participation in the African Union (AU) and the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect, and previously chaired the Coalition for an Effective African Court. PALU is also a member of the Steering Committee of the African Civil Society Platform for Principled Partnership between Governments and Civil Society.
Specialised Knowledge on the African Legal and Human Rights System
PALU is one of the most prominent and active external partners of the AfCHPR. It has been directly involved in more litigation at the AfCHPR than any other institution. It is the first organisation to be granted Amicus Curiae status at the AfCHPR and also the first organisation to be appointed as a Legal Aid Provider. It is also a respected partner and actor at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the AUCIL, and the PAP. It also actively engages and has been funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF).
Over the last four years, PALU has been building up a body of knowledge on African International Law and International Institutions, including all the institutions named above. Considering our strategic positioning, we are well placed to have a positive impact on democracy, governance, rule of law, human rights and generally on legal issues at both the continental and regional levels.
Over the years, PALU has developed an enviable place for itself as a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) engaging and engaged by the AU organs and institutions, and also the major Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other African Regional Organisations. We have a Memorandum of Understanding with the AU, formalised in 2006, which led to PALU being routinely involved in the activities of the Office of the Legal Counsel, the Department of Political Affairs, the African Court on Human & Peoples’ Rights, the African Union Commission on International Law and the Pan African Parliament, amongst others.
A continuing area of concern for PALU is that the various independent organs and institutions that make up AGA still appear to operate in silos, with the citizens of Africa not yet seeing and feeling fruits of more intensive co-operation, collaboration and complementarity, as was envisaged in the legal and policy instruments that established AGA. We have strived to raise this issue at all available opportunities and to give practical examples of where and how we envisage more joint work. This can at best be described as a work-in-progress.
Some of the notable advocacy projects that PALU has undertaken towards the AU include:
- Prepared the draft Protocol on the extension of the jurisdiction of the AfCHPR to include an international criminal jurisdiction. PALU supported the AU, its organs and institutions, RECs and Member States, as they negotiated and adopted the Protocol, and we engage the Member States as they sign and consider ratifying it.
- Developed the AfCHPR’s legal aid funding framework, institutional structure, fund-raising strategy, and the AU Statute setting up a Trust Fund for Legal Aid for the three key AU Human Rights Institutions, which was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU (the AU Summit) in January 2016.
- Undertook a research and dialogue project to catalyse a deeper understanding of the ideal interaction between the different institutions of the African Human Rights System and the complementarity that exists between them in their promotional and protective mandates. This culminated in the publication of a practical Complementarity Guide, for practitioners and activists to effectively engage these institutions.
- Worked, with others, in the development of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy Framework, from its very outset back in 2010, up until its successful adoption in February 2019. We have undertaken research, documentation, consultancy and advisory, and overall advocacy activities toward this framework, either acting individually, or in the larger consortium of CSOs supporting the process. We pay special tribute to the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, which, on the part of civil society, was the initiator and has been the driving force and leader in the collective efforts to see this process to conclusion.
- PALU has continued to work, as lead Consultant, on the development of the Action and Implementation Plan for the Human and Peoples’ Rights Decade in Africa. We envisage that the document will be refined, completed and placed before the AU policy organs at their next Ordinary Summit.
- PALU also regularly engages the East African Community, Economic Community of West African States, Southern African Development Community and the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, thus gaining practical and vauable knowledge, skills and experience on how African RECs and Regional Organisations interact with the AU.
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