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OptimusLaw's mission is to help bring individuals, businesses and member lawyers
together by simplifying the process of choosing a lawyer. We use
the power of the Internet to present important information pertaining to
the experience and personality of our member lawyers along with the
services they offer. Using OptimusLaw to find a lawyer is
easy. We provide the information that you want and need to know
to choose a lawyer for your specific situation.
Do you need a lawyer? Most of our member lawyers will answer your
general legal questions to help you determine if you really need to hire a
lawyer. Follow the steps below to find a lawyer.
Identifying Your Legal Issue
The process of selecting a lawyer begins with identifying your legal
issue. This important first step will help you narrow your search
to a general area of law so that you can determine what type of lawyer
you need. OptimusLaw categorizes the practice of law into
fourteen
general general categories called
Areas of Law.
Click here to learn more about the general
Areas of Law
and the specific legal issues that they encompass. Use our
Search
feature to find additional information on a specific legal
issue or topic.
There may be instances when you cannot accurately determine your legal
issue or general
Area of Law. This may lead you to contact a lawyer
that cannot help with your particular situation. If this happens,
the lawyer may refer you to another lawyer who can handle
your matter or back to OptimusLaw.
Legal Services
Now that you have determined your legal issue and area
of law you can search for lawyers and firms that handle
those types of cases and matters in your local area.
Many lawyers focus their practices on certain areas of law,
such as divorce, criminal or real estate. Some lawyers
have general practices that handle many different issues for
their clients. Other lawyers
have practices that are very specific, such as patent and
trademark attorneys.
Lawyers will usually only identify some of the areas of law
that they practice in their traditional advertising such as
yellow page directories, television commercials and radio
advertisements, due to space and time limitations. The
great advantages of the Internet are unlimited space,
powerful text search features and 24 hour accessibility.
OptimusLaw encourages member lawyers to provide as much
detailed information as possible so you can quickly find a lawyer
that can handle your specific case or matter. Click on
Find A Lawyer
to begin your lawyer search by selecting a state. Click
here to get additional help
Using
Our Website.
Experience
Once you have identified several lawyers as possible
choices you can review their online information to learn
more about them. OptimusLaw provides links to
member lawyer web sites. Visit these web sites to find
answers to these important questions.
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How long has the lawyer been practicing law?
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What types of cases has the attorney handled? |
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What additional knowledge or experience
does the firm possess that might help you with your case or matter? |
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What is the attorney’s educational background and credentials? |
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What
work experience does he or she have? |
Personality
In addition to presenting a member's experience,
OptimusLaw works with its members to create a web
presence that includes information not usually found in
legal advertising. Studies indicate that the
personality of a lawyer is just as important in the
selection process as his or her experience. Our
designers and writers attempt to bring out the personality
of the lawyer to answer these other important questions.
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What type of
personality does the lawyer have? |
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Does the attorney
have a professional appearance? |
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Is he or she someone
that you’ll feel comfortable talking to? |
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Will you trust them? |
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Will he or she be
empathetic to your story, cause or situation? |
Make
an Appointment
Many of your questions should
have been answered by the information presented on the
web sites of the members that you selected to review.
The next step is to select one or more lawyers, call them, and set
up an appointment. Some of our members offer a free
initial consultation. Some prefer to meet with you in
person rather than
discussing the matter on the phone. Other member
lawyers will travel or make arrangements to meet you at a
convenient location.
Lawyers earn a living by selling their time. Their
time is spent researching, reading documents, preparing documents,
making telephone calls, meeting with various parties, directing
subordinates involved, giving advice and going to court. You
should not expect a lawyer to answer specific legal questions or
provide free legal advice.
Please
respect their time.
Lawyers do not generally advertise the rates or fees that they charge
for their service. Generally speaking, more
experienced attorneys charge higher fees than less
experienced lawyers. Lawyers in larger firms typically charge higher
fees than lawyers in smaller firms. And, usually lawyers located in
metropolitan areas charge higher fees than those located in
smaller towns or rural communities.
Your particular legal issue will also effect
what your final costs will be. For example, a divorce
in which both parties agree on everything will cost much
less than one where the parties are battling over property,
children and support. Lawyers will generally only take
accident, injury, product liability or malpractice type
cases on a contingency basis. You should expect to pay
an hourly rate or flat fee for all other types of matters.
Unless you are a frequent client and have a preexisting
relationship, most lawyers will require a retainer, or cash
up front, before they begin working on your issue.
When you speak with the lawyers that you select you will
want answers to these questions.
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Does the lawyer offer a free initial consultation? |
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Will the lawyer bill you
hourly, a flat fee or accept the case on a contingency
basis? |
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What is the total
estimated cost? |
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What can you do to help
minimize the legal fees? |
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How much money will you
have to provide up front? |
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How long will it take to
conclude the matter? |
Choose a Lawyer
You have
learned about various lawyers by reviewing their web sites,
speaking to them on the telephone or meeting with them in person.
Based on the information gathered you can now select a lawyer to
represent you or investigate other lawyers by completing the process
above again. To learn more about lawyers and the services they
provide visit
Working
with Lawyers. |
