HOW TO AVOID A BAD ATTORNEY

The first thing that comes to the mind of a person who is facing a legal issue is to find an attorney to help them get out of trouble. They immediately start searching for a lawyer that will help close their case. But before that, gathering as much information as possible before an attorney is hired can serve to protect your interests in the long run. If you are going for a law firm research about their law firm online, look for the review of the clients that the firm has served in the past. Thorough research must be done to screen out lawyers who may have faced problems in the past, such as fee disputes, any charges, or bad reputation in general.  

Hiring a lawyer is a difficult decision and therefore, must be done carefully as the strength or the weakness of your case depends on the kind of attorney you hire. You have to be very particular and specific with the type of attorney you hire if you want to get the case closed with your own. It is often challenging to find a good lawyer, and particularly more difficult to avoid a bad one. An attorney’s work habits can help you determine if they are suitable for your case. Some of the qualities which must be avoided while looking for an attorney would be

• An attorney, who fails to attend their clients or return their emails, calls promptly lacks responsiveness. It shows that the person may be too busy to listen to your concerns. It also shows their incompetency to handle the cases.
• A Legal representative who demonstrates rude, impatient, condescending, or poor attitude may not be suitable to work with and must be avoided as it indicates that they lack professionalism. A weak client-lawyer relationship can cause conflict and cause damage to the case ultimately. Their ethical conduct is just as important as other skills that are required in this profession.
• An attorney who misses deadlines, especially showing negligence in court filing deadlines can seriously harm your case. Therefore, it is best to let go of an attorney who consistently misses deadlines and demonstrates carelessness.  
• Someone who doesn’t follow a proper or a well-organized, reliable calendaring system to prioritize obligations and to meet deadlines cannot be trusted as a trustworthy attorney for your case. The lack of time management skills of an attorney can prove to be harmful to your matters and for your pocket.
• The outcomes of legal matters are always unpredictable. A reliable lawyer will not promise definite results, and therefore always be on the lookout for lawyers who make fake promises to you while searching for suitable lawyers for your case. Observe the amount of work they are ready to put in before they promise the results to you.
• A lawyer that lacks proper communication skills with a client will not inform them about the status of their case. There can be misunderstandings involved which can be disastrous for your case. They can come off as the most suitable attorney for your case, but they must be evaluated based on how well they communicate with you as that will set the tone for the future attorney-client relationship. It plays an important role in closing your case, as well. 

There are a lot of attorneys that might be very good at their job but, that doesn't mean that they will be beneficial for the work that you need to get done. It would be best if you found an attorney who specializes in your area of need. An attorney will claim to be good at what he does. It's the job of the client to assess who will fit perfectly for the job that they need to get done. The best thing to evaluate the credibility of an attorney is to ask them for references as previous clients know their reputation as well as how they deal with their client. Even if you have less time to find a suitable attorney, always do your research and never hire the first lawyer that you find. Once you hire an attorney, you will be presented with a contract that will include specifications like fee arrangements and other details. Always read the terms before signing and never sign if you are not comfortable with the terms of the contract. Suppose the lawyer is not willing to explain things to you or is hesitant to negotiate the terms that do not align with your interests. In that case, it's best to rethink the decision of hiring that attorney as you'll have to deal with the consequences later. The client needs to be comfortable with their attorney unless the attorney is only looking to make money and doesn't care about the interests of the client that is where the client has to make sure that a suitable attorney is appointed to handle their case.    

It's the responsibility of an attorney to take care of their clients. Their job is to decrease the troubles of their clients as they get paid for this. Therefore, a client must do their research and screen out the best option for them, they can then go to their chosen attorneys for legal advice, and it is up to them to manage the issues brought to them in the best way possible as well as in the right way.