Sooner or later, you may need an attorney.
Perhaps your publishing business is expanding to the point where you are considering incorporating and bringing in investors. Maybe your collaboration agreement needs a legal touch. Or, the worst has happened and someone is suing you for infringement, defamation, or some other wrongful act.
Many people have an unfavorable view of attorneys, which is not entirely fair. Yes, some attorneys are bullies, but they would have been bullies no matter what their profession.
Most lawyers are bookish types who try to look after their clients. If you avoid the bullies, you’ll find attorneys are valuable members of your publishing team.
There are two general types of attorneys.
Business attorneys assist you on matters such as setting up your business, obtaining EINs and resale certificates, drafting licenses and agreements, reviewing manuscripts for potential legal issues, and providing preventive counseling. They rarely step into the courtroom. Like me, their goal is to keep their clients out of court. However, if litigation arises, a business attorney assists clients with the preliminary negotiations, and, if unsuccessful, helps find the right litigator.
Litigation attorneys are experts in the process of litigation, including handling court filings, taking depositions, and making court appearances. A litigator would defend you if you are served with a complaint alleging infringement, defamation, breach of contract, or violation of law. Or a litigator would help you assert claims against someone infringing on your work, defaming you, or breaching an agreement.
I advise against hiring a litigator for general business advice. Typically, their orientation is too confrontational.
How to Find the Right Attorney
Start by asking people you know for referrals, including local writing clubs or self-publishing organizations. Many communities have “lawyers for the arts” groups, which offer discounted or free services to artists. Contact public-interest groups , such as organizations promoting fair use or First Amendment rights. You could also contact your local bar association. They often have referral services.
Don’t be surprised if you speak to one attorney, who refers you to another attorney, who refers you to yet another attorney. These attorneys are trying to help you find the right person with the right experience and the bandwidth to take you on as a client. Don’t assume they are trying to get rid of you.
What to Look for in an Attorney
Experience, especially in litigation. Nothing is more valuable than an attorney who has handled similar matters for a significant period—ten years at least. An experienced attorney will have a higher hourly rate, but will be able to assess and advise quickly. You are more likely to achieve a better result faster and cheaper.
Responsiveness. This is difficult to measure in first impressions, but try to gauge how quickly the attorney will respond to calls and emails. Ask the attorney about response time.
Chemistry. You must be candid with your attorney, particularly about your mistakes. Are you comfortable talking to this person? Is the attorney a good listener, or dismissive, patronizing, or distracted? Avoid any lawyer who doesn’t let you finish your sentences.
Style. Does the attorney seem creative and oriented toward problem-solving? Or a hard-charging bully? Trust me—don’t hire a bully. Even if you are really angry or scared, a bully wastes time and money. You will be better off with someone smart, who is fair but tough. Look for an iron fist in a velvet glove.
Warning signs. As I said, avoid bullies. Also avoid gladiators with something to prove to the world. (Not on your nickel, please.) Be wary of attorneys who brag too much about their own achievements or who assure you your case is a “slam dunk.” I am suspicious of any attorney who fails to warn clients that litigation is uncertain and expensive in terms of dollars, stress, and distractions. Avoid attorneys with too broad a range of practice areas; that’s often a sign of an attorney who will do anything to pay the rent. Check your state bar for any disciplinary actions against the attorney.
Up-front payment. It’s fair for the attorney to ask for a reasonable retainer, depending on the complexity of the matter. If the payment is high, consider two possibilities. First, the lawyer wants you to understand the expected cost of the matter. You may be gung-ho to sue your former writing partner. By asking for a $20,000 up-front payment or higher, the lawyer is making sure you understand the potential cost of revenge.
Alternatively, the lawyer may not want to handle the matter and hopes you will go away. Ask.
How to Manage Legal Fees
Organize your information, documents, and thoughts. Be prepared to present the problem, and not only your ideas of the solution. I find it difficult to understand a matter when a client calls me and tells me exactly what he wants me to do without explaining the background and reasons. Often, the proposed solution is off base, and it takes a while to back up the discussion to the underlying problem. If you do not know what information is relevant, err on the side of providing too much. It is faster for the attorney to skim through all the details in order to pick out what’s relevant than to identify what’s missing and have you fill in the gaps.
Schedule an initial consultation by phone or in person. Most lawyers will discuss a matter for 15 to 30 minutes without charge or for a flat fee.
Tell the attorney what other parties are involved or potentially involved. If the attorney has a conflict of interest, cut the conversation short.
Be honest. The attorney cannot help you unless all the facts are on the table, especially the embarrassing ones.
Ask for an estimate. The attorney should tell you hourly billing rates and whether a flat fee or contingency fee is possible. Discuss your budget. The attorney should let you know whether your budget is reasonable and workable.
Understand what risks you are willing to take. Your attorney could draft a 40-page airtight freelance agreement for your cover designer. But is that really appropriate for a $500 contract? Don’t pay for a ten-foot cement wall when a picket fence will do.
Engage an attorney with relevant experience. Even if the hourly rate is higher, the cost is likely to be less in the end. And an experienced lawyer will get you through your legal project quickly, so you can get back to writing your next book.
SHARE THIS
My family deals a lot with business communication, and one of the first signs of non-professionalism is taking a long time to respond. I think your tip about watching out for how responsive an attorney is, is a very good one. It is understandable that at the start they might not be responding within the hour, but it can be fairly easy to gauge what is a good response time and what isn’t. Thanks for the tips.
These are some great tips, and I appreciate your advice to ask people for referrals. Using others’ experiences as a resource is a great idea, because it can help you narrow your search without a lot of effort on your part. You also know you can trust the recommendations given by your friends and family and close co-workers. Thanks for the great post!
Thank you for the post Helen, really concise and to the point! The family does not always need legal help but when we do we sure aren’t sure how to go about the hiring process! Also good to that you put “style” in one of the wanted features in an ideal attorney, that is something very important but not often thought of!
Thank you for your insight on how to find the right attorney. You suggest that the best place to start is to ask people you know for referrals, and I think that this is a really great idea. Getting referrals from people you know and trust will ensure that you compile a list of possible attorneys that are reputable and will work well with you. Thus, going from here, you will be able to more easily make that list smaller and find the right lawyer more easily. Thank you for sharing!
This was a pretty informative article, I always have to seek legal aid on behalf of some of the bad apples in the family, so it was nice to have a few tips to help me find the right attorney. The most important thing for me is responsiveness, so it was nice to see that emphasized in this post. I will have to bookmark this article for the next time I feel like trying out a new lawyer!
I really like these tips on what to look for in an attorney. I think that experience is very big, I’ve heard of one of my friends who had a lawyer that was not very experienced and things did not turn out the best. So after that, I would make sure the lawyers I would hire had many cases before.
I like your tip on finding a lawyer that matches your style. I would image that finding someone who has the kind of style that you want in a courtroom would be a good way to ensure that you will get along well with your attorney. My sister is having some real estate disputes with her neighbor so when she hires legal representation she should probably hire someone who has the right style to get the job done well.
Without a doubt, experience in your business attorney is a MUST! An experienced team of attorneys who’ve handled cases like yours before will mean a better result for you and your investment will be worthwhile. This is not to say that new lawyers should all be ignored, but those with experience are definitely worth investing in.
I agree that when it comes to hiring a lawyer you would need to be patient as you look for the best one who will handle your case carefully. I can see how this would help you have a better experience with your case as well as helping you avoid lawyers that only care for the money. I wold want to make sure I find someone who cares about me and wants to help me resolve my legal problem.
I really like that point about being prepared to present the problem and not just he solution. In my opinion, that’s probably the best way to find a good solution. It could also depend on if you actually trust your attorney or not.
Nice article this will definitely help me hiring a better family lawyer.
My brother is currently going through a divorce. The process has been stressful for him because his ex-wife hasn’t been cooperating, so he’s looking for a good legal service. I didn’t realize how important it is to choose an attorney that can give an accurate estimate upfront to ensure you know exactly what their billing rates are. I’ll be sure to share this information with my brother.
I really like your idea to find an attorney who is a creative problem solver. I think you can get a good idea of this if you take advantage of an initial consultation and meet with the attorney in person. It can also help you begin to establish that relationship in working with your attorney on your case which can bring you a lot more confidence in the outcome of the case.
Thanks for explaining that litigation attorneys are prepared experienced in making court appearance and are best for cases involving breach of contract or law. My friend is actually working on setting up a business, so this article will help him find the right kind of attorney. I’ll be certain to share it with him the next we have lunch.
It really helped when you said that we should discuss the fees so that we will be able to know if our budget is workable or not. This will help us a lot with our situation right now, so thanks for the tips. We just needed their help since there has been a misunderstanding with the mortgage that we had. Since we have problems financially, this tip will help us a lot to find an attorney.
I like how you said that nothing is more valuable than an attorney who has handled similar matters for a significant period. I am looking for a lawyer for examination services. Thanks for the tips on how to hire an attorney.
I agree with your points about hiring an attorney. It can help several people to find the best attorney for their cases without any hesitation.
I have to agree with you when you said that I should be able to trust and feel comfortable toward the lawyer because it is vital that I am candid with them, especially with my mistakes. For someone like me who finds it hard to speak to someone, this is really important. That is why I probably need to trust my instincts on this one. I want my social security case to be a success after all. Thanks!
I like that you mentioned that you should check with your attorney about the fees, so you will have a good idea about how much it will be. I am looking for an attorney to help me get out of a sticky legal situation, so I want to make sure that I understand the fees. I will be sure ato asak my attorney about the fees required.
I really like your tip about finding an attorney that can listen to your concerns and make you comfortable with talking about the legal issues that you might have. I would imagine people that are currently facing their first ever legal issues will be a bit stressed out about the whole matter. Having a lawyer that can make you feel welcome, safe, and comfortable about the matters at hand can surely make their lives a bit easier.
I really appreciate your tip on how a more experienced attorney can help you with your case quickly and easily. My wife and I have been thinking of getting an attorney to help my wife with a small court case she has coming up in a couple months. I will be sure to look online and find an attorney with a lot of experience!
Thanks for sharing such a great information, it is really helpful. Keep up the work.
When a family hires a reliable lawyer, they usually minimize or reduce a lot of effort put towards handling legal matters. All one needs to do is hand over the details of the case to the lawyer, and from there it will entirely be their duty to make the required follow-ups and thereby dealing with all that the case entails.
Lawise, It’s still smart for the client to keep track of what the lawyer is doing.
Great Article .Choose a lawyer who will stay honest with your case. Sometimes the fees of the lawyer is not a factor to judge his quality. Insist on previous work record.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information.Finding the best Attorney is a complex task.Your article is really helpful to us.
I like that you explained that one way to find a good lawyer is by asking for referrals from people you know. It’s important to find a lawyer that is specialized in the area that you need help in. If I was in a situation that needed an attorney, I would want to have one that I could rely on.
I liked that you mentioned a good way to find a general attorney is to ask around your friends and neighbors. My brother got a traffic ticket, and we are looking for advice to help him. I will ask our friends and neighbors for a recommendation to find the best lawyer to help my brother.
One of my uncles suggested that I should build a company since it will be profitable in the long run. I think I’ll hire an attorney from a corporate law firm to assist me with the laws that we need to comply with. Thanks for saying that I should ask around for referrals so I’ll know which firms I should contact.
I liked how you suggested asking attorneys for referrals to other attorneys who can help you better. They likely have much more experience in that crowd and will be much more in tune with who works well than I’d be able to off online reviews. Finding a lawyer that other lawyers trust sounds like a solid option to me.
I like what you said about asking people that you know for referrals to help you find the right attorney. My brother has been telling me about some legal trouble that he got into recently, and he wants to make sure that he gets a smaller sentence. I’ll share this information with him so that he can look into his options for lawyers that can help him with this.
I am glad you mention that it is ok if an attorney refers you to another attorney since they are trying to help find the best attorney with the right experience. My husband just recently had an accident at work and has been considering what to do about it. I think we should look into a good law firm with experience in workers’ compensation who can help us with our case.
I love how you mentioned that one should consider finding an attorney that has experience in what you’re looking for. My neighbors are fighting over their property line. These tips could help them find great lawyers, so thanks for sharing them.
Thank you for telling me that I should look for an attorney who has at least 10 years of experience in the field and has also handled a lot of similar cases before mine. I have finally gathered the courage to hold my stepfather accountable for all the suffering he had inflicted upon our family, especially to my mother whom he had hurt multiple times physically and emotionally, and I’m planning to take it to court. I hope I’ll be able to find an experienced personal injury attorney who can provide excellent and proven services.
It’s awesome that one attorney would refer you to another attorney just to make sure that you get the right person for you. I think it’s a sign of a good attorney if they’re willing to give up a customer to get them the help they need. I’ll be sure to ask around for someone who will be a great fit for us.
Thanks for the tip to make sure the attorney will be responsive in their communication by asking about their average response time. My brother has been having trouble collecting payment from one of his past clients, and he’s thinking about speaking with a debt collection attorney since he’s been trying for almost six months now. I’m glad I read your article so I can tell him what factors to consider as he decides which attorney will be the best to work with!
I liked how you said that one should be able to trust and feel comfortable with the lawyer you hire. One of my friends needs to hire a family law lawyer and he needed some advice. These tips you gave will really give him a head start and hire a good lawyer.
Thank you for sharing that one of the best ways to hiring an injury attorney is by asking for references from our contacts. It makes sense to do so as they can vouch for their service. My son is looking to hire an injury attorney. I will start by asking for recommendations from my peers.
Thank you for sharing this information. Not all knows this things and I think it is very important to be aware about this kind of things.
My brother and I are thinking about hiring a general attorney so that whenever we go through any legal situation we have somebody there for us already. I appreciate that you explained that usually there are two different general types of attorneys; Business attorneys and litigation attorneys. I will start researching if there is any law firm in town that offers both services or just find the one that fits our needs the most.
Choose the attorney who meets the criteria I set out in the post. If you happen to find one firm with attorneys that meet all your needs, that’s great. But that may not be the case. Be open to either alternative.
It’s valuable that you point out that an attorney can help you with the legal aspects of starting a business. I want to start a small company soon, so I’m considering hiring a business lawyer to help me. I’m going to search for a reputable provider of business law services to hire.
When a family hires a reliable lawyer, they usually minimize or reduce a lot of effort put towards handling legal matters. All one needs to do is hand over the details of the case to the lawyer, and from there it will entirely be their duty to make the required follow-ups and thereby dealing with all that the case entails.I also learn Something New From Your Post And Next Time I Will Try To On My Financial Method. Thank Again For Sharing Awesome Tips.
I like that you said that I should choose an attorney that already has experience with similar matters to my case, especially when it comes to litigation. One of my close friends plans to hire a business litigation attorney soon. I’ll share this article with him via email to use this as a guide to finding the best lawyer in town. Thank you!
In my opinion, people employees who haven’t received their minimum wage from their employees must hire a lawyer that will be able to help them claim their rights. Well, I agree with you that they must seek referrals first. Of course, we also share the same opinion that they must consider the long experience of the attorney.
People who are not being paid minimum wage or receiving other compensation required by law can usually get help from their State. Most States have an agency set up to protect employees and have an online complaint procedure. People should check with their State before hiring an attorney.
I liked what you said about getting an attorney who has experience in litigation. It would be better if they practiced the type of lawsuit you are in. You want a personal injury attorney for any accidents and a family law one for any divorces.
I’m glad you mentioned you need to find an experienced lawyer to get the best out of it. I think that hiring a lawyer could be a hard process. After all, they’ll be representing and protecting you. I would say that I agree with you on how an attorney who’s dealt with cases similar to yours is a better option for you. I think you did a great job explaining what you need to look for in an attorney.
This is one of the best articles I’ve seen on how to hire an attorney. Thank you for the valuable tips.