17 January, 2020
The legal industry is one of the most thriving industries in the U.S. because people turn to courts to sort out their issues, conflicts, or face charges from the other party. From embezzlement, robbery, violence, and contract breach to DUI, anyone can end up facing any charges even without doing anything. So, courts are always busy, judges are listening to cases, and lawyers giving their arguments. To give you a clear picture of the scenario, do you know that in America, no two seconds pass without filing a lawsuit? Yes, that’s how busy is the legal industry.
If you have been charged with an allegation, you would have realized that legal matters work way too different than your perception.
It is not like any movie’s court scene or a drama’s shot. You can get into pretty trouble if you are planning to go heads on with the case on your own. Even if you are naïve and you weren’t near the case scene, you can still be sentenced if you don’t prove it. That’s where a lawyer can help. Oh please, let me rectify myself. That’s where a good, experienced and dedicated lawyer can help you. Just remember that the lawyer is your life’s savior; you can’t hand over your life to an inexperienced person. Ending up with a criminal charge means almost the end of your life or beginning of never-ending troubles – you must take the matter seriously.
Every year almost 50, 000 lawyers pass out from law school, but do you really think that all of them are on the same level? Even two lawyers graduating from the same school can’t have the same qualities. Even if they have the same knowledge and CGPA, they will vary in terms of expertise, dedication and matter handling – one will definitely be better than the other. You have to find that one lawyer!
No, there isn’t any instrument to measure the goodness of a lawyer, but some tricks can help you. If you are looking for a Los Angeles DUI Lawyer or a criminal lawyer, you can figure out whether your lawyer is loyal to you and your case. Don’t know how?
Here are some tips to determine the dedication and loyalty of the lawyer:
Poor Communication:
Communication speaks a lot about the attitude of a person. You can just take your own example. You communicate attentively with a person you want to work, whereas, if you are not into someone’s work, you don’t pay much heed. The same is the case with the lawyer. If your lawyer is dedicated and loyal towards you, it will speak in his promising attitude and communication.
It is the duty of your hired lawyer that he should listen to all your queries and answer them no matter what. Obviously, your life is on the stake; you would be worried and have plenty of questions to pacify your worries. Your lawyer is bound to answer all your questions with attention and care. Even if it is a trivial question, how much time will it take, and who will work on the case?
Besides this, your lawyer should also be available to answer your calls whenever you want to discuss an important matter.
Obviously, your lawyer also has to look into other cases, he can’t be available all the time, and he can miss a few calls. And it is also not possible to attend your call at 4 a.m. when you just want to say that you are scared. But you can tell whether he missed your call intentionally or unintentionally.
If you aren’t able to catch up with your lawyer, you can call at his office or assistant. The attitude of the staff with you can also tell whether the lawyer is having a promising attitude towards you because the attitude of the staff member is the reflection of their boss’s attitude.
So, the way your lawyer is communicating with you can definitely tell whether he is loyal to you or not because you are not only paying your lawyer for the case but also to give the best services.
No Enthusiasm:
If your lawyer wouldn’t be having an enthusiasm towards winning your case, he will never be able to convince the jury. We already talked about that you can’t win the case just because you are innocent, you have to prove your innocence in the court, convince the jury to think that you are not at fault. A lawyer can do it, but only if he is passionate and fully dedicated to winning your case. Bland sentences and lifeless arguments can do no good to you in any way. A half-hearted lawyer raises a full-fledged question mark to his dedication and passion. So, you should check out if your lawyer is taking an interest in your case. Obviously, a lawyer is not undergoing the pain and trouble you are facing, so he can’t take things as you are taking. But the lawyer’s interest can show how much he is involved and enthusiastic about your case.
But make sure that the lawyer shouldn’t go over the board as he might start taking things too unrealistically. He should be realistic and sensible enough to understand things in their ground realities instead of being too confident because he is feeling the passion for winning your case.
Lack of Work Ethics:
You can’t take a court lightly. It has its own decorum and workflow that a lawyer must know and follow to make things fall in the bracket for his client. So, a lawyer should have strong work ethics and attitude. Like, a lawyer should do the homework on time, be ahead of the paperwork and meet the due deadlines. After all, it is a matter of someone’s life; a lawyer can’t take things as a jaywalker. Doctors are not the only people who need to have work ethics; lawyers are also responsible for saving someone’s life, career and finances. A good lawyer knows it and if he is loyal to his client, he will show good work behavior and ethics. So, if your lawyer isn’t meeting the deadline and missing appointments, it is time to raise the red flag because this all is not okay!
Poor Behavior:
No one likes to be treated poorly, significantly when you are paying for the services – very hefty fee for that matter – then you deserve to be treated with respect. On top of that, a lawyer must understand that you are in trouble, your life and everything is on the stake, so he must show a good attitude towards you. Showing a good attitude doesn’t mean that he should turn into your 4 a.m. friend and listen to all your sorrows, issues and whimpers over the call. But at least he should be polite to you. And loyal and good lawyers are actually polite! Only a lawyer lacking sensitivity and loyalty towards the client will dare to show a rude behavior. Besides rudeness, a lawyer shouldn’t also display impatient and uncommunicative behavior. Such behavior isn’t only disrespectful but also creates conflicts and ill-will between the client and the lawyer that can become a hurdle in winning the case.
Bad Billing Practices:
Lawyers are giving their service, and they are not sitting in the market to do social work. You should be very clear before hiring a lawyer that he will charge you his fees and that is not going to be cheap. But charging fees is one thing; excessive, hidden and overly done billing is another thing. You should check out following bad billing practices to judge the loyalty of your lawyer:
- The lawyer should clearly chalk out his charges and billing. If your bill isn’t explaining clearly all the details of the charges, tasks performed, who is conducting them and when it is considered as a vague billing. It shows that something is fishy!
- Demanding what a lawyer’s right is understandable, but he shouldn’t inflate the rate due to excessive billing.
- A surcharge is another bad billing practices that some law firms do to increase their profit margin. Surcharge includes adding rates of copying and postage in the bill that is certainly not acceptable.
- Moreover, if the lawyer asks for some hidden expenses that weren’t mentioned earlier are also a big no.
Reputation in the Market:
Besides the lawyer’s behavior with you, you should also check out the reputation of the client in the market. Like, how his colleagues treat him and what his past clients have to say about him. So, you should research in the market to check out the reputation of the lawyer before hiring him. A disrespected lawyer shows that he is not a good deal. Pre-research will save you beforehand instead of experiencing it on your own. Also, your lawyer must be respected and considered seriously; only then will his words be considered valuable during the trial.
I'm Harry Wilson, a senior digital marketing consultant at Globex Outreach. Writing is my part-time hobby because I get to share my experience with the world. Professionally, I help map out a flawless digital marketing plan for the clients at my firm.