Here are the top five qualities to look for in your lawyer.
1. Honesty and Integrity
You need a lawyer who will be straight with you about what is achievable and what is not. False hope can be very bad for you, especially during a difficult period. Whatever the legal situation, your lawyer needs to provide you with honest support.
Your lawyer will need to have a great level of integrity. They might be standing up for you in a court of law. As your representative in any circumstance, they need to act with a high degree of honesty and integrity if they are to be respected as somebody that practices law.
Your lawyer should always have your best interests at heart, and their motivation should always be focused on managing your situation in the most tactful way possible.
2. Knowledge
The law is a rich and complex subject and it is something that is always evolving. Your lawyer will have studied for a number of years to achieve the level of knowledge and understanding that they have. They should also maintain their knowledge by any continually reading up on changes, as well as being involved in on-going training.
Some lawyers will have additional qualifications or will have specialist knowledge that is more relevant to your situation. Pay attention to their qualifications and what they have specialized in. Many lawyers will have this information made public, as well as their education history
3. Experience
The right lawyer is someone who will have a wide range of experiences within the law. They will have dealt with clients of all different backgrounds and who faced all kinds of challenges. Find a lawyer that has the relevant experience for your situation. If you need someone who will be able to help you in a family court, find a lawyer who has plenty of experience working within custody cases. If you need someone who has courtroom experience, find that lawyer.
Experience is important as it will provide your lawyer with the confidence that they need to help you achieve your aims.
Of course, all lawyers start somewhere, and a new lawyer will gain their own experience with the support of their law firm and their mentors.
4. Good Communication
Your lawyer needs to be clear in everything that they are saying. They need to know when they need to break down complicated legal information into something that is is easy to understand, but they also need to be very sharp, reasoned, and intelligent when handling your position with other lawyers, and judges.
Understanding the audience is vital for a lawyer, and if you want to feel confident in their hands, you need to know exactly what they are saying to you. If you feel lost and you don’t understand the situation, then you may end up losing faith in them.
5. Friendly And Approachable
Your lawyer needs to be friendly and approachable. They are there for your benefit, and you need to be comfortable opening up to them. They will require a lot of information from you, some of which you may feel uncomfortable sharing. Having a lawyer who can put you at ease will mean that you will be more likely to be able to talk with them. That, in turn, will help them to gather the facts that they need and do their jobs well.
Throughout the whole legal process, having a lawyer that you feel is on your side who you can talk to, will mean you will feel comfortable enough to be able to confide in them, should you need to.
A lawyer should be able to check-in with you throughout and check how you are doing. Legal matters can be very stressful and your lawyer needs to have empathy and understanding of your situation.
While it is important to maintain a professional separation between lawyer and client, that is no reason for a lawyer to be cold to you.