How to Check a Lawyer's Background
If you have a legal matter that requires attorney representation, check a prospective lawyer's background and credentials before signing a fee agreement. Several online resources are available to assist you with the selection process. Learning about the attorney's background and experience can help ensure you are hiring the right attorney for your case.
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Instructions
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Contact your state's attorney board of ethics or disciplinary board by telephone. Alternatively, go to your state's website and locate whether your prospective attorney has any current or past complaints. The information should come up listing the attorney's name, identification number, areas of practice and disciplinary actions, if any.
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Go to the Martindale website. This website provides a listing of all licensed attorneys in the United States. It's useful because it gives two kinds of ratings -- a Peer Review Rating and a Client Rating. The Peer Review Rating is a rating from 1 to 5 by other attorneys in the community, and the client rating is a performance assessment by previous clients.
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Refer to Lawyers.com as another useful resource regarding a prospective attorney's background. The website provides a profile section indicating the attorney's biography, education and years of practice. Similar to Martindale's website, a Peer Review Rating and a Client Rating are included.
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Visit the lawyer's personal website. The lawyer's website may provide helpful information in the form of articles, blogs, links and how they conduct business. There, you can find a more personal means of reviewing the prospective attorney for your case.
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Pay a fee to learn about an attorney's expansive history and practice. The Abika website offers the ability to provide a detailed summary of your prospective attorney's background. At a cost, you can obtain an attorney's list of cases tried in court and a percentage of cases won, lost or settled.
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Learn about the attorney through word of mouth. If you know of any persons that had a case with the attorney, ask the person directly if she was satisfied with the representation.
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References
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