How do you choose a lawyer?

Try your state's bar association. In Missouri, they have a section on their website for referrals.

Scott

Just a wry observation on Internet 'get a lawyer' advice.

If I had a nickel for every time someone on the Internet said "Get a lawyer," I could afford every lawyer in the book simultaneously. It's funny how we very seldom told strangers to get a lawyer before Internet forums were invented. That doesn't mean you don't need a lawyer's advice, it's just an observation on the frequency of "Get a lawyer" advice on the Internet.

Many years ago, the lawyer for my employer told me that a lawyer generally prevails in legal matters through the superior practice of the law. No lawyer wins by making drammatic and empassioned pleas before court like they do on movies and TV. Meet and interview lawyers to find one who has handled your specific type of problem many times before, and ask him/her to describe how he/she prevailed. That's the one who probably knows the superior practice of the law on that particular matter.

What research if any did you do to make your choice? If it was a gun related incident do you ask how familiar they are with guns in general or if they carry themselves?

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If you are in an urban area, you will likely find that most of the area lawyers don't have a lot of personal experience with firearms.... well other than their experiences with the people they represent. I know several lawyers in my area (born and raised in the city) that have never fired a firearm.

Personally if I were in trouble with a weapons related offense, I'd be less worried about whether my lawyer can field strip an AK-47 and I'd be more worried about if my lawyer can find a 4th Amendment reason to throw out my arrest/stop/search or a 5th Amendment reason to throw out my purported confession, or a 6th Amendment reason to................................... you get the idea.

ants said:

If I had a nickel for every time someone on the Internet said "Get a lawyer," I could afford every lawyer in the book simultaneously. It's funny how we very seldom told strangers to get a lawyer before Internet forums were invented. That doesn't mean you don't need a lawyer's advice, it's just an observation on the frequency of "Get a lawyer" advice on the Internet.

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You never know what people were told before there was any such thing as an unedited Internet forum where anybody could post anything they want. Fact checking is totally optional and rarely practiced.

With all due respect to the owners of this forum, there probably shouldn't even be a legal sub-forum on this board. If someone is not licensed to practice law in your state, anything they tell you is just an opinion. And if someone is licensed to practice law in your state, it is doubtful they will give you a legal opinion for free!

All they really need is one post with one "sticky" that reads, "If you have a legal question, ask someone who is licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction."

Scott

I am a lawyer and licensed in AL and GA If you are ever in need in either state PM me and I can help make inquiries to get you names for what you you need.

Martindale-Hubbell is a decent start. See www.martindale.com. Google or other search engines can also work. If, for example, you wanted a corporate tax attorney you could Google: "corporate tax lawyer [your city/state]".

Your state has a bar association that may or may not have a list of attorneys that agree to take referral calls based on the topic. If you live in a siginificantly sized city, there is likely a local bar association too which will offer the same service. For example, if you call the Alabama St. Bar or the Birmingham Bar Assoc and tell them you need a lawyer who practices environmental law they'll give a couple names & phone numbers. The lawyers on these lists generally agree to give up to 1 hr free consult. If they can help you they will. If not, they will refer you to another lawyer or back to the Bar with suggestions on how to further refine your search criteria for the type lawyer you need.

Last but not least, recommendations from those you trust.

Once you get a lawyer's name, a martindale.com and/or Google search can turn up a lot more info on him/her.

Hope this helps.

Since this is a firearms website, our interest here should be limited to those lawyers with expertise/experience in firearms-related issues.

The NRA can offer choices on a state-by-state basis; possibly for several cities in any state. Other national-level pro-gun groups may well have the same capability.

In Texas, the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) has some recommendations and will certainly answer inquiries. Other states' organization are also capable...

Ive witnessed lawyers who got paid and then basically gets their client to plead to avoid trials or advises them to make deals to avoid a drawn out process. Im sure some are sincere but some are also trying to move on to the next person to make money.



Moving on to make money may be the case with some. In many cases the prosecution's evidence and testimony would be a sure conviction in a trail from what I've seen. Better the defendant should plea and avoid a trial which usually is a lesser sentence and/or fine.

I haven't had much need for lawyers but I think you should find one who specializes in what your problem is criminal, real estate, divorce, etc. the best divorce lawyer can't be expected to do his or her bets in a criminal case.

And if someone is licensed to practice law in your state, it is doubtful they will give you a legal opinion for free!

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You would think that; but both THR and TFL have a suprising number of attorneys who occasionally chime in on an issue and offer useful, relevant advice. I'm kind of surprised myself since it rarely benefits a lawyer to give away legal advice for free and even free advice can come back and bite them later.

I think a lot of our lawyers just really believe in the Second Amendment and self-defense and genuinely want to help others. Otherwise, it just isn't worth it on a cost/benefits analysis.

Don't have that problem, thank goodness. I have a buddy who's a Smokin'
Good attorney.

Actually, it's not a bad idea for EVERYONE to have a good defense lawyer on retainer and on his/her speeddial. You never know when you need someone you trust to help you in a jam with the LEO. You can get a retainer for as little as $100, keeping in mind that good defense lawyers charge hundreds per hour.

As others mentioned, start with a state bar association search and also check references and search to see whether he/she have had grievances filed against him/her. Ask for references. Check with the District Attorneys Office for the reputation of various defense lawyers. The DA may or may not tell you straight up who is ethical and who isn't, but you can ask.

Regarding non-criminal stuff, some states offer free/cheap legal services through 'legal aid' or some variation of that program. You can also inquire at the state law schools and universities for volunteer attorneys, pro bono attorneys, etc. Not the greatest option, but a good start for someone on a budget with simple issues.

With all due respect to the owners of this forum, there probably shouldn't even be a legal sub-forum on this board.

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"Ignorance of the law is no excuse." (For violating the law.)

Understanding the law is so complex it requires people who have dedicated thier life to a profession of learning just a specific portion of the law, thier specialty.

Nobody is qualified to understand the law except the person paid a lot of money by the hour and licensed by your state.


So if ignorance is no excuse, but most people are not qualified to understand the law, it seems there is a conflict. A conflict that nobody can resolve by paying a lawyer hundreds or thousands of dollars each time they have a question on every single possible law (firearms and otherwise) for every different jurisdiction.
The only other solution is for every person in the country to become a lawyer, a rather unproductive economic model. But even they would need the expertise of lawyers specialized in other portions of law.

Hence the imperfect solution of a legal forum.