How Do I Select a Lawyer?

I am always looking for new clients and I began to wonder why my clients chose me. To find the answer, I started to ask my clients why they selected me over the other 90,000 lawyers in Illinois. Most of my clients told me that they choose a lawyer in the much same way they choose an accountant, doctor or dentist: They ask the colleagues that they respect and are successful for a referral. If I am doing a good job for a respected successful colleague and they are satisfied, the potential client figures that they will be satisfied as well.

Let’s face it; a lot of lawyers are competent. This not a distinguishing factor. The distinguishing factor is simply whether the lawyer performed so well that your colleague actually likes them. This isn’t a touchy-feely kind of “like”; it’s a “like” based on an evaluation of a professional relationship.

Traits In a Lawyer That You Actually Like:

1. Genuinely cares about you, your concerns, your ideas and your business.

2. Listens to what you are saying and what you want to accomplish by engaging their services.

3. Helps you succeed as you define the term success, i.e. understands your goals.

4. Asks questions that show that they understand your business and your legal issue. They also answer your questions in a language that you understand.

5. Suggests alternative ways of addressing the issue or problem and explain the effects of the alternate ways and the chances of success with each alternative.

6. Advises why one solution to a problem might be better than another for you and your business

7. Clearly explains what information or documents he needs from you.

8. They respect your time either in a meeting or in the demands that they may place on your or your staff.

9. They explain the legal process and what to expect and when to expect it to happen. They keep you updated on the status of the work. If there is going to be no activity for a while, that is explained to you as well.

10. Returns your calls and emails within a reasonable time.

If you like your lawyer, they are probably doing all (or at least most) of these things right now. You rest easy in knowing that your lawyer has your back and you are assured that your personal, business and legal interest are always foremost in his heart and mind. That is the level of service that I strive for at Kindwald Law Offices.