Peters Zachary A: Law Offices of Steven K. Deig

Consulting an attorney can be a costly and intimidating process. Choosing the right attorney is an extremely important decision. Someone who is knowledgeable in the field, and effective in their representation, will be able to save you piece of mind, time and in some cases, a considerable amount of money. Before you take that first step to set up an initial appointment, here are a few things that might help you make the right choice: Determine the area of law at issue and create a list of attorneys who practice in that area. Often times people think that because you are an attorney, you can help them with any issue they have. While that may be true, the most effective legal representation comes from an attorney who is comfortable dealing with that certain type of law. The best way to find an attorney’s practice area is to do a quick online search. Google queries such as, “Evansville Divorce Attorney”, or “Bankruptcy help” will give you a general idea of who may be able to offer their services. Other helpful online resources can be found through the Yellow Pages, findlaw.com, local billboards and advertisements around town and the Evansville Bar Association. This is also the time in your search where you should check with someone whose opinions you respect and who you are comfortable sharing confidential matters. You may want to ask them what type of issue their attorney handled for them; what type of feel they got from their dealings with the attorney; what was their fee arrangement; or if the attorney was easily accessible by phone and email. Once you have a list of possible attorneys put together, the next step is to rank them in order of your comfort level towards them. Rank your list of Possible Attorneys There are a variety of things you can look at when determining your comfort level with an attorney without meeting them. The most important is to see what other clients have said about them. Go online, and search out reviews on each of the attorneys. Similar to reviewing a restaurant you and your wife have visited, past clients use the internet to write reviews about their experience with that attorney. By doing a quick google search, you should be able to find a few past clients who have something to say about their experience. The more reviews that are available, the better suited you should be to choose your attorney. Besides looking at reviews from past clients, visit the attorney’s website and review what information they feel is important to show the general public about their firm. Is the area you need assistance with located on their list of practice areas? Does the website give you an idea of what traits they are able to provide to their clients? Once you have gone through the steps above, you should be able to narrow down your list. The last and most important step in choosing an attorney, is setting up an initial appointment to go over your issues with them. There is no substitute for sitting down face to face and discussing you case with the attorney. Before meeting with the attorney, note things such as; your experience setting the appointment; how comfortable you felt dealing with the support staff, and whether the office felt inviting and friendly.