Hiring a lawyer for the first time can be daunting, especially if you don’t know what to expect. It’s important to understand what you should expect out of a quality lawyer. If you hire a lawyer for any reason and they don’t meet these expectations, they aren’t working for you as they should.
Competency
If your lawyer doesn’t display clear, core knowledge about the task you’ve hired them for, consider a different lawyer immediately. Everyone is human, including lawyers, so it’s unreasonable to expect perfect and immediate knowledge at all times from yours. However, if your lawyer consistently makes mistakes or appears uninformed, it’s time to take your business elsewhere.
Thorough Communication
One of the most important parts of a lawyer-client relationship is constant and thorough communication — so much so that many states have laws about when lawyers must communicate with their clients. When you first hire your lawyer, they should be willing to answer any questions you have and work toward your communicated goal. A quality lawyer will respond to emails and phone calls promptly, keep you updated on even the smallest case developments and make contact with you before making important decisions about your case.
If your lawyer fails to effectively communicate with you, especially if they act on your behalf without communicating with you first, address the communication problem with them. If they aren’t accommodating to your communication expectations, find a lawyer who will respect your needs.
Cost Transparency
Part of lawyer-client communication is transparent costs. A quality lawyer will tell you upfront what their service will cost you. Some lawyers have flat rates while others bill by the hour. Before anything else, the lawyer should provide a written fee agreement that you can understand. If you don’t understand any of the terms of the agreement, the lawyer should rewrite it in a way you can understand and be willing to answer any of your questions with full transparency.
Ethics
While each state has varying ethical rules that lawyers are expected to follow, the following should always be upheld:
- Maintain attorney-client privilege
- Work within the bounds of the law
- Represent the client’s interests
- Put the client’s interests ahead of their own
- Perform the duties of a reasonably competent attorney
Most notably among these is that your lawyer should always fight for your interests above all else. If you suspect that your lawyer isn’t representing your interests or they make decisions against your interest without your consent, they cannot be trusted to represent your interests in the future.
A lawyer who isn’t working to represent your interests isn’t really working for you. If you need a reliable, experienced small business real estate attorney, probate attorney or small business lawyer in San Antonio, Dan Burke is the best choice. With affordable flat and hourly rates and completely transparent communication throughout your case, Dan Burke will always put your interests first and fight for you.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with Dan Burke.
