How do you pick a good lawyer? -

Hi everyone! I ve never hired a lawyer/attorney before, so I m wondering if anyone has any advice for me when finding a good one. Are there any warning signs I should be looking for? Is there a way to find out what kind of record they have for wins/losses? I live in Wisconsin. Thanks everyone!

You can contact your state bar association and find out if they have complaints filed against the attorney you are thinking about. Determine the area of expertise of your proposed attorney, i.e., criminal, civil, corporate, personal injury, tax, probate, to name a few. How long has he./she been in practice? What law school is their Alma mater? How many cases have they won or lost? This is some of the things to check before hiring a lawyer, but, buyer beware, there are just as many rip-off lawyers as the are good ones.

Seriously, get opinions from other lawyers in relation to how agressive you want to be. Warning signs would be how much the lawyer wants to tear the other person apart. You can find out whatever record you want... if you have that much time to scout out the thousands of records at the courthouse files. Word of mouth and referral is best.

Word of mouth would be my option, ask around to friends ,family etc and see who they may have retained before and for what reason... maybe put a ad in your local craigslist asking for solid recommendations.

first be sure he/she is the type of lawyer your looking for (criminal, corp.civil,etc.); then you might want to check their record out and finally your price range.

Its hard. Personal recommendation is the best way.

ask the other cats in jail who their lawyers are...then hire somebody else

How to sue a lawyer for their negligence? -

The above negligence led to losing a civil suit. The lawyer passed on the case to 2 different lawyers but their dedication was not that serious but just the opposite in this case. The client is dissatisfied with the outcome having paid a large amount of legal fees. Any soild legal points to make a legal claim would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your comments.

I guess in this case they have to appoint another lawyer to take on the case of suing the previous lawyer for negligence. Unless they wish to take on the case themselves in which case they need to be well-versed in the laws. In matters concerning payment it might be more difficult to prove. So do gather all the proofs necessary and speak to another lawyer. -----

You already sense that there is something wrong when your own lawyer passed the case to 2 different lawyers then. You should have informed him of the detrimental or have pernicious effect of passing the case to a new lawyers which in these case 2 unhighly not recommendable lawyers. You should have objected to the act of your lawyer. Because if he will continue with this you may as well terminate his services. A CASE IN COURT IS LIKE WATCHING a ball game, minute by minute as you sit there you may have already the feeling that your ball club might not make it or win the case esp. you have a defense lawyer to rise and object inside the court house. If you feel the lawyer is not doing his best or negligence in some part then you have no choice but to terminate his services. BUT YOU HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE FINAL BUZZER and now your option is to sue a lawyer for their negligence, which for me is too late the hero. Remember these people are lawyers, they can vehemently deny their own negligence if any and can even shift the blame to you. SO SUING A LAWYER and arranging your civil suit will entail so much problem on your part. As if you are in a ship between two(2) storms in the middle of the sea one in the East and one in the West. Can you survive the onslaught of the whirlwind? Forget about suing the lawyers and concentrate on hiring a new fresh lawyer to handle your case from now on. Focus on the same route not the people around it.

Just because you lost does not give you grounds to sue. Filing a law suit does not mean you have a good case. Heck, filing a law suit does not mean you even have a case. When you file a law suit, there is no guarantee that you will win. There is no guarantee that you are going to get the big pay day you want. Suck it up. The jury did not agree with you. You lost. But in order to sue 1. you have to find another lawyer to take the case (and that s going to be hard) 2. YOU CAN STILL LOSE that suit as well and end up paying even more legal bills. 3. If it s a frivolous suit, you could actually end up paying some of the defendants legal costs on top of your own.

Sounds like you need to find a lawyer to sue this lawyer.

If it was that bad take number twos advice as they donPt like sueing each other ..they are twats ...good luck

What do I need to do to work towards being a lawyer? -

I m a music person but I also want to pursue a career as a lawyer. I have a BA in Music and currently working towards a Masters degree in Opera Performance. As far as law goes and with my degree, would I have to major in something else all over? just take certain required courses? What are all of the steps?

First of alll, don t let people discourage you or tell you it s too hard. I graduated from law school and will be taking the Bar exam next Feb. Law schools except ALL majors. They want interesting, bright people. And you have an amazing background! To have a BA in music and working towards your MA in Opera you must be very disciplined, creative, outgoing and a great performer and oralist--all characteristics that a law school would value. You may even want to practice Entertainment Law. I play the piano, and with music being so mathematical you will have a great edge on developing the skills of being a good law student. Anyhow, to prepare... Study for the LSAT. Take a Kaplan prep course or whichever one you prefer. Take tons on real previously administered exams for practice. Also you can buy prep books at a bookstore like Crown or Barnes and Noble. Next you need a couple of letters of recommendation. You will also need to do the application, including the personal statement. With such an interesting background I m sure you have something interesting to say. Finally, I recommed visitng the school to shmooze up to the admissions representative at the school. Just stop by to ask questions or better yet make an appointment. They may have a student give you a tour. But often you can meet with the actual person who will be reading and making a decison on the application. How do I know this? I used to work in the admissions office at my law school. I gave some of those tours too. And I always gave feedback to our Dean and Director of Admissions. Just have a list of questions ready in advance. And treat it like an interview. Attend a law school forum in your area if you cannot visit the school. All the deans of admissions will be in attendance there. Trust me if you don t believe me. People will tell you it s all not possible or that you can t do it or that it is sooo hard. But in reality, if you make up you rmind to do it, you will accomplish the goal. Check out the ABA website (American Bar Association) and also the LSAC website (Law School Admissions Council). Also check out the CLEO Scholars website. Good luck to you! And dont let the naysayers get to you. I actually applied to law school in secret because no one supported me except for my sister and my friend (who is now my husband). Of course everyone jumped on the bandwagon later. But that s another story. Everyone told me to quot;justquot; be a teacher or quot;justquot; do this or that. Now they all go around bragging about how they know a lawyer. GOod luck to you! Also, watch my two favorite movies for inspiratopn: quot;Rudyquot; and quot;Legally Blondequot; -- I really related to the Elle character p.s. Law school is not quot;hard.quot; It s just time-consuming.

The arts translate beautifully into law concepts. The most valuable class I ever took was logic (a branch of philosophy). I apply it to all my law classes. Make sure you are enjoying learning law. Those who go only for the cash get a rude awakening later on. A person born an A hole who goes through law school come out an even bigger A hole. Others quit half way. There are enough aspects of law where passion CAN be a great driving force. It has the potential to be a very noble and history making field. GOOD LUCK

In the u.s., there are no specific required courses before law school. However, anything involving writing or logic would serve you well. Get the info from any law school and you will see no specific requirements beyond a BA degree. Still, meeting the minimum requirements doesn t mean that you will be admitted.

my husband has been a practicing attorney 30 years. Take the LSAT.

What is the job of a prosecution lawyer? -

I am taking part in a mock trial (im in yr 9) and i am a prosecution lawyer. The mock case is that a man has been charged with offending (or something) a man by throwing eggs on halloween. I just wondered if someone could explain the role of a prosecution lawyer, and wondered if any one had any tips to do with the case or my role. Thanks!

You are presenting/prosecuting or showing the case against the person who has offended aand trying to prove him guilty. The accused should have a defending lawyer who helps him try to dispute or argue that he is not responsible.

To prosecute criminals in court.

Where can I find a social security disability lawyer? -

I am wondering what makes a good disability lawyer and what site I can find a good SSDI lawyer on?

Try the yellow pages in the phone book wherever youi live. There are 100s of them listed.

You can start on the internet, type in social security disability lawyer in the search bar. The one site I like was http://www.socialsecuritydisab... , the offer an online evaluation at http://www.socialsecuritydisab... Report Abuse

Brown and Margoles, in Cleveland, OH do that. Maybe they can refer you to someone in your area if they don t want to represent you themselves. Sometimes they can handle a problem with a quick phone call. Their phone # is 216-621-2034.

HOA lawyer sent collection letter to demand payment of unauthorized and disputed charges What option do I have? -

My dispute was ignored. Should I pay the ratched up amount before deadline to avoid more trump up fees, then seek legal action? What government agencies/avenues/courts do I have to sue and challenge the unjustified charges? If I pay up first, will disputed charges become a dead issue?

Do not pay disputed charges -- at least not until it looks like you re going to lose your dispute. Paying is a cop-out and a bow to their bullying tactics. They have the burden of proof, and you can assert a defense if they sue you, or raise a counter-claim at that time. In the USA the lawyer (or collection agency) is governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and you can easily get them to back off until the dispute is resolved, if you send the right letters to the right people, as required by the law.

IF you re in the UK and you re talking about the penalty charges imposed by most banks, currently subject of a High Court challenge by the Office Of Fair Trading... I understand the current position to be this. The OFT, with the co-operation of a number of banks, took the matter of penalty charges on current accounts (NOT credit or charge cards) to the High Court, arguing that as the charges did not reflect the actual cost of default to the banks, they were punitive and therefore unlawful. The High Court hasn t ruled on that but has allowed a challenge to proceed on the basis of unfair terms. Where people have already submitted complaints or challenges, to the banks themselves, or begun court action or have made complaints to the Ombudsman, these actions have all been suspended. If that s the case with yours, I would argue recovery action should also be suspended. You could argue, if the HOA Lawyer proceeds to Court, the action should be dismissed or adjourned. However - I m not a lawyer, nor a specialist in this field so I would say you need better advice. And, if you re outside the UK... Try the following link. There s also bankchargeshell but that site seems to be down.

If you are concerned about additional fees you can file a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment. If you pay voluntarily it might moot any lawsuit but that depends on a lot of factors.