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These are the questions
we suggest you ask of your lawyer candidate:
1. How long have you
been practicing law?
2. Do you carry malpractice insurance? May I see proof of coverage?
3. Do you encourage clients to consider alternative dispute resolution
methods?
4. Have you been trained in dispute resolution?
5. Do you have the time to dedicate to my case? Will anyone else in your
office handle my case? Who? When? Why?
6. What qualifies you to handle my case, which relates to (subject of
your dispute)?
7. Do you have written recommendations from other clients that you can
share with me?
8. May I review your resume?
9. If you are unavailable in trial or deposition, who will respond to
my inquiries and take care of my case?
10. Are you willing to work with me in tailoring my case to my budget?
Of course, I will provide you with written authority if I decide to forego
a certain strategy or tactic that you recommend.
11. I am interested in keeping my costs down in this case. Thus, I want
to participate in decision making with you, and to undertake some tasks
in my case if I am able. Is this agreeable to you?
12. Will you provide me with your legal analysis in a simple, understandable
way without all the legal jargon attorneys usually use?
13. What do you see
as the downside of my case?
14. Are you willing to entertain a fee structure different from an hourly
charge - such as contingent fee or part contingent fee and part hourly
fee?
15. Are you willing to estimate how much my side of the case will cost
without considering the other side's strategy?
16. Will you now provide me with an itemized estimate of how much you
feel it will cost to prosecute/defend just my side of the case? I will
not hold you to the estimate, but I do want to get a reasonable idea of
the costs we are talking about.
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