Eleven Questions to ask BEFORE Hiring a Business Attorney
1. How many trials have you won?
Even if you expect to resolve your business problem without going to trial, a trial attorney will provide better value to you ... more.
2. What course of action would you recommend for my business problem?
With ALL of the pertinent information, any top quality Business Litigation Trial attorney should be willing and able to outline the best course of action... more.
3. How will decisions be made regarding resolving this matter? Attorney, client or jointly?
Generally, you are hiring an attorney to use his or her legal experience and expertise to represent your best interests and that includes making the decisions... more.
4. What are my responsibilities and tasks likely to be?
Since this varies so drastically with each case, it is imperative that you understand early in the process what you will be asked to do and/or provide... more.
5. What is my case worth in both trial and non trial scenarios?
An experienced business litigation trial attorney will know. If you are interviewing an attorney who is uncomfortable with or avoids answering this question, it's the wrong attorney... more.
6. What are the strengths & weaknesses of my case?
Every case has them and you should never hire any attorney who cannot or will not answer this question... more.
7. Who will be handling my case and returning my calls & emails?
Simply stated, the more accessible and communicative your attorney is, the more value you will receive throughout representation... more.
8. How long will it take to resolve this matter?
While this is very dependent on how the opposing party proceeds/responds every step of the way, a good trial attorney can give you the most likely time line... more.
9. What are the risks of waiting, instead of taking action now?
The point of asking this question is to insure that you and your attorney have complementary (or identical) philosophies related to the Value of Time... more.
10. Would you explain your fee structures (hourly, contingent, etc.) and how each of them works?
The importance of the client clearly understanding the fee structure cannot be overemphasized! ... more.
11. As a prospective client with a business legal problem, what other questions should I be asking you?
In most instances, the prior ten questions will provide what you need to choose the best attorney for you and your legal problem... more.
California Business Litigation Blog
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