If you have friends or co-workers who have been through a dissolution, divorce or custody case, then listen to what they have to say about their lawyer AND what they have to say about the lawyer from the other side.
Don’t trust the “order of appearance” in lists when you search for attorneys in the internet. That order can be influenced by advertising, and by spammed links which fool the search engines into “thinking” that the attorney has a large amount of “traffic” and therefore must be popular and therefore must be good. Being first on the list which appears, in a search, could even be a result of “negative” publicity leading to multiple searches. Go beyond the advertised sites.
Do trust ratings from services such a Martindale Hubbell and Lawyers.com where ratings and reviews are based upon the opinions of judges, other attorneys in the area, and former clients of an attorney.
Review the websites and blogs of any attorney you are considering. What types of cases has the attorney had in the past? What are his/her areas of practice? Does the attorney practice in many areas (a general practice such as criminal, real estate, landlord-tenant) or concentrate practice in the family law, divorce, dissolution, child custody and support areas?
Check into rates. Remember though that a newer attorney, charging “only” $150 per hour, may take three hours (and thus $450) to accomplish what the more experienced attorney can get done in one hour at $300 per hour. The attorney with the “lower rate” may end up being more costly, in the long run, than the attorney with the “higher” rate. Consideration of the above will help you find the Top Lawyer, Best Lawyer for your divorce in Columbus, Ohio or anywhere you may be searching.
This message was provided by The Law Offices of William L. Geary, Co, LPA – a firm concentrating solely in family law. If you have questions, please contact us at (614) 289-1227