Legal Services Explained
Legal services encompass a wide range of professional tasks performed by licensed attorneys. These services are typically tailored to the diverse needs of individuals and organizations. In the criminal realm, legal services may involve representation during criminal charges, negotiations with prosecutors, or arrangements of plea deals. Civil matters, which can range from small claims to large-scale corporate lawsuits, require attorneys to argue a client’s position in court, assisting clients in filing motions or compelling the opposing party to respond to discovery requests. In addition to civil litigation, legal services can include a variety of transactional areas such as drafting contracts, real estate closings and corporate formation, along with several others.
Corporate legal services are necessary for business operations; companies may need to form a limited liability company or other structure , negotiate contracts, arrange mergers and acquisitions, or handle financial and tax-related disputes. In the family law domain, legal services such as divorce settlements, child custody arrangements, and property division are often needed.
Despite the wide diversity of legal services, choosing the appropriate legal service for a particular situation is essential in order to successfully resolve an issue. When parties to a dispute select the wrong legal service, it can have disastrous results; clients could pay more than they could have otherwise, miss crucial details of a case, or even jeopardize the success of their claim entirely. By choosing the right legal service for the task at hand, clients can maximize their chances of a successful outcome.
Factors When Deciding on Legal Services
When deciding on the right legal services for yourself or your business, there are several key factors to take into account. This will, of course, vary from case to case, and it’s always a good idea to get as many different opinions as possible, but it’s still useful to have a few guidelines to use while you’re weighing up your options.
Experience
The more specific an area of law, the less likely that a given lawyer has dealt with that issue in the past. This is why it’s always important to check that the attorney you are considering has experience with cases like yours. There are also other factors of experience that should be taken into account. For example, a lawyer who has only practiced for five years but has worked with thirty-five clients will have more relevant experience than a thirty-year veteran who has only worked with two clients in that entire time.
Expertise
There are some areas of the law that have only very recently begun to see a high amount of litigation. Depending on what you are suing for or being sued over, it’s worth asking the attorney you’re considering hiring if they have expertise in that area. Again, this isn’t something that will come up on every case, but if it does it can make a massive difference to the outcome. An example of this might be Social media. Only a decade ago, there was next to no reference to social media whatsoever in the law so a lawyer that has a blog and produces regular content about social media issues will be more experienced than even a thirty-year veteran in the industry would be.
Reputation
This is both in general, and with your particular issue. Reviews sites such as Justia, FindLaw or Yelp! can be used to find out how a given firm or attorney has treated their past clientele. A good way to differentiate between firms is how they treat clients regardless of whether they decide to proceed with them or not, and whether they process and outcome is as important to them as the method by which they achieve them.
Cost
It’s always a huge factor for lawyers and clients alike, but there’s a large amount of confusion around what a given fee structure means. There’s a lot of information about lawyers’ fees on the web, but as a general rule of thumb, flat fee lawyers fit into the following categories:
Flat fee
The client pays the lawyer a set amount, irrespective of how much work they do, for a specific task or project. This is often for simple services.
Hourly fee
The client pays the lawyer a set sum per hour of work, and the lawyer bills them for however long the task takes.
Contingent fee
This is when the lawyer takes an agreed percentage of whatever settlement is achieved if they win a lawsuit, or take an agreed percentage of whatever assets they are seeking to recover.
Tiered fee
This is when the lawyer takes a percentage which decreases at stages throughout the case, or a percentage which begins at a higher level and decreases as the assets to be recovered become larger.
The above is just a guide, of course, but they’re useful as a baseline to not overspend or employ the wrong service.
How to Determine a Trustworthy Legal Service Provider
Assessing the Credibility of Legal Service Providers
To assess credibility and trustworthiness asks you to look into critical markers of the firms you may be considering for your issue.
First, look at years of practice. How long have they been in business? Look beyond the glossy website and award pages.
If you’re able, ask to speak with a client, without them there of course.
Good firms aren’t shy about clients praising them. They may give you a call to get feedback on the experience or they may provide you one of those rare opportunities to talk with a client directly.
Ask for professional affiliations and memberships.
Law firms, especially those for litigation, will be members and board members of various local and state legal resources, and other organizations practicing in the same area.
These are great signs that the firm stays up to date on all technical and advancing issues, if applicable, and trends in the field.
Ask the person you’re working with to explain to you why the organization is beneficial to consumers.
Ask for testimonials, even if these are anonymous. They should be able to provide you with a shortlist of previous clients who can vouch for their service. Also look for reviews online, check sites like Google, Avvo, and Yelp.
You can also do a search on state court sites.
Your gut will also tell you a lot. Be skeptical of lawyers and firms who won’t let you communicate with them in the way you prefer. Also trust your instincts about people and practices.
Comparing Various Legal Services
Comparing Legal Service Options
Not all legal services are created equal. When comparing options, consider the following factors for each service provider:
Scope of services. Do they specialize in your legal issue and niche? How long have they been in business? What is their level of experience?
Fees. Does the service provider charge a flat fee, charge your hourly rate , or does it charge a combination of both? How do these charges compare to other providers? Are there implications if the charge is more than your budget? Are there payment plans available through your provider? Will you be expected to make a retainer deposit to cover the service and administrative costs? What is the expected outcome and what will be the reasonable cost for that outcome?
Success rates. What is the likelihood of success? Is this based on case law history and precedents or is this a projection based on evidence in your case? What are the fees associated with pursuing the next steps in the case? What are the reasonable expectations for the next steps in result of your case? What are the projected costs involved with each of these potential next steps? What would they mean for your bottom line? Is this achievable?
Importance of Technology to Legal Services
Technology has dramatically changed all facets of business, but perhaps none so much as in the delivery of services in the legal industry. From the way that attorneys advertise for clients to the manner that they prepare and try a case, there is no area of the legal system that has not been affected by technological improvements.
Most people still think of lawyers and judges laboring over law books, poring over statutes, talking about arcane matters. And while they do spend time doing just that, there are technology-based services for just about every major function of the entire legal system.
One of the most obvious ways that technology has changed the legal system is in the ability to shop for the right attorney for any client’s needs. Just like you might look for the right provider of a service on Amazon, you can now find attorneys, by specialty, geographies, practice areas, etc., very easily. Great legal service providers now advertise their specialties online and can make it easier than ever to find the lawyer with the experience and specific expertise necessary to handle your particular legal matter.
Likewise, it is very easy for clients to connect with their attorneys online. Attorneys offer as standard now the ability to have the first 15-30 minutes of an initial consultation online, which saves both client and attorney the trouble of having to make due literally or figuratively driving across town to meet up.
At other points in a case, technology tools can help to make the process much easier for clients. For example, many law firms utilize software as a service for legal research and billing. This makes obtaining research much less expensive than it was in the past. Likewise, billing software helps attorneys to write down their time much more easily and bill clients much more closely to when services were performed.
Client services are also provided online in many different ways. Lawyers can now offer or make referrals for almost any legal service through their websites. This creates a nonstop network of legal services that makes it easier than ever for clients to find the exact legal service that they need at any given moment.
Online services also help to streamline the process. Clients can fill out intake forms and contracts online, including e-signatures. It is now much easier for clients to get important documents signed, even from lots of miles away. Technological tools allow for seamless sharing and commenting on documents as well as real-time updating of documents to ensure that all parties are on the same page. There are also online libraries available for clients and attorneys alike to search through a massive repository of legal resources. Many different services are now available online to help to check to see if a lawyer is licensed or to see if they are a member of a state bar association. These tools are ubiquitous on the internet, as the legal community becomes more connected and more accessible.
Making the Ultimate Selection
Along with all of the research and deliberation that goes into deciding what legal services to purchase, there is also the important act of making the final decision. If you have interviewed several providers of the same service, such as estate planning, analyze the proposals in front of you after having asked the same standard questions of all of them. What are the fees? Are there extra fees charged above and beyond what has been quoted in the proposal? Is the service provider expecting any out-of-pocket expenses to be paid by you? What is the payment schedule: half up front, one quarter up front and the remainder when the work has been completed, or something else? You may want a lower fee; it may not be worth the price; the way to get a potentially better service is to pay less, not more. Of course, you want to get the best legal services possible for the least amount of money. If the entire package, price and services being rendered, is acceptable then it is time to make your final choice. Sometimes a potential client will interview a few different providers and reach the conclusion that the matter is too complex or expensive . In such instances, such individuals have even retained the services of another attorney who focuses on helping people find the right legal service providers for their needs. The referrals offered by this great attorney are quite remarkable, often for little or no fees charged. Some attorneys have actually seen the other contributor to this blog offer free space on his Web site for referrals to legal services where he has been assured these attorneys would provide pro bono service. There are some special practitioners out there who really want to help you find a competent and capable attorney. And they are to be commended for their efforts. Choosing a legal service provider safely, easily and quickly, or a complicated matter that takes a lot of time and cost more than you should be expected to pay, just might be worth spending money to retain an attorney who specializes in referring clients to pertinent services. When you have decided how to choose a provider, your instincts should lead you to hire the right one. Following your instincts and making the final choice, as well as the first choice, is important and is an indispensable part of the process.
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