When it comes to being in a legal situation as either a plaintiff or a defendant, you want to know that the person you hire to help with your case is going to be the best possible choice for the job. Each case that you could find yourself involved in is different, therefore each type of case requires a different type of lawyer or legal group. An identity theft case probably should not be tried using a lawyer specialized in medical malpractice, and vice versa. Today we will be talking about the various kinds of cases and how to find the best lawyer for your needs in each circumstance.
Types of Cases
Here, we will go over the most common types of legal cases that you may find yourself a part of. There is a wide variety, as well as different levels of severity.
- Criminal cases: These cases are when the government is prosecuting a person for allegedly or actually breaking a federal or state law. These are by far the more serious and require more specialized lawyers.
- Civil cases: These types of cases are when one person or entity files a dispute against another person or entity. These can range greatly in seriousness and come in several different types, which we will cover below.
- Personal Injury: These cases are when the plaintiff requests compensation for bodily injury caused by the defendant. A personal injury lawyer Perth will usually have the requisite expertise and experience to guide your compensation claim towards an excellent outcome. The basis of the argument might be negligence, liability, or malicious intent. The method of injury may be auto accidents, medical malpractice, animal attacks, fraud, personal injury, and so much more.
- Contract Disputes: This type of civil case is filed if a person or entity breaches a contract with another person or entity, and the plaintiff wants compensation for the part of the contract left unfulfilled.
- Equitable Claims: These cases are when a plaintiff asks the court to either order an individual or entity to stop an action or to take a specific action. Think temporary restraining orders and the like.
- Class action Suits: These civil cases are when a single lawyer represents a whole group of people filing for compensation against an individual or entity for wrongdoings that have caused injury to all of the plaintiffs.
- Family Disputes: Divorce, legal separation, and custody battles all are part of civil litigation. These can be very tricky and involve many moving parts to consider.
- Property Disputes: These cases revolve around disagreements related to property ownership and property boundaries.
Finding the Right Lawyer for You
With the seemingly endless number of lawyers out there in the world, it can easily become overwhelming trying to find the perfect one for your case. Here is our list of tips to find the best possible lawyer for your particular case.
Understand your Case
Understand your case type and start researching lawyers that specialize in that particular type of litigation. You will need a lawyer who has experience working on your case type, and who has taken the time to master all of the nuanced skills that come with that.
Look for Someone Local
Finding a lawyer who lives where you do and where your case is being tried will give you an inside track because they will know the ins and outs of that particular court system, along with all the major players involved in your case.
Check out the Client Reviews
As with any kind of purchase of services, look at what past clients have said. Were they, on average, happy with their results? Use multiple sources for this part of your research to be sure that you are getting a wide enough pool of responses, and especially check the bar association to make sure that the lawyer you are checking out has no complaints or disciplinary actions against them. While you are at it, get an idea of their success rate to see if they are doing well on their cases. This you can research as well as ask in your interview.
See How They Communicate
You will want to get an understanding of how your potential lawyer communicates with their clients as well as their team. Check their response times, professionalism, whether they can be understood, organizational abilities, etc.
Trust your Gut Instinct
Like with any human interaction, you can get a feel about a potential lawyer just by doing interviews. If there is something that you cannot quite pinpoint, but just feels off somehow, trust yourself and move on to the next interview to find someone else. A good lawyer for your will show an interest in you and your case and should be willing to answer any questions you may have.
Ask About all Fees
The best car accident injury lawyers do not have to automatically be the most expensive one. If they are high-quality then yes, they will probably reflect that in their pricing. This doesn’t mean you should have to see your car to afford them. You will also want to consider the severity of the case. Is it worth the big cost? You should be sure to get an estimate from your lawyer based on the details of your case, and you should get an idea of how they set up their billing procedures. Make sure that this includes all of the fees, from the actual hiring of the lawyer to travel costs to expert fees and any other incidentals.
Summing it Up
While this list is definitely full of information, this is by no means the end of what to look for when selecting the best lawyer for your case. These legal proceedings can essentially change your entire life, so try to avoid just rushing into the selection process headfirst with no plan. Going about it that way will only end badly. We recommend that you make a list of what you are looking for with your ideal lawyer and work to find one based on that. We do hope that this article has given you a good starting point, and we wish you all the success in your legal endeavors.