Family, friends and business acquaintances are all excellent places to start your lawyer search. Why is this, you may ask? Talk to friends and family. Chances are good that someone you know has used a lawyer or knows someone who has. Ask friends and family who they used and about their experience. Were they satisfied with the service they were provided? Ask for specifics about why they did – or did not- feel their lawyer provided good service. Find out if the lawyer returned telephone calls or emails in a timely manner, whether the case was pursued and completed in a reasonable time, whether the lawyer listened to requests and concerns, whether the person was kept informed about the status of his or her case, whether fees charged were fair and bills detailed enough to know what legal work was completed on the case.

Referral Services. There are a number of referral services in Texas. The State Bar of Texas provides a list of referral services around the state. Referral services require lawyers to register and generally require lawyer members to carry malpractice insurance. In the Austin and central Texas area, contact the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas. Referral services often also set a limit on the fee charged for an initial consultation. The Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas requires its member lawyers to provide a 30 minute consultation for $20.

Courthouse. Go watch lawyers in action. In family law matters, divorce, child visitation, child support, etc., you can find hearings going on at the Travis County Civil Courthouse on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Except in rare circumstances, court proceedings are open to the public. Locate a hearing to watch by asking at the information desk or check the directory of courtrooms and investigate until you find a hearing to watch. You may enter and leave a courtroom while proceedings are ongoing, but remember to be respectful and quiet. Turn off cell phones and pagers and do not bring food or drinks into the courtroom. It also advisable to not bring your children. Some of the issues in these cases may not be appropriate for children, who likely should be in school in any event, and children may have a difficult time sitting still and quiet during proceedings.

Interview potential lawyers. Many lawyers offer an initial consultation free or for a small fee. You may only have 30 minutes for an initial consultation so prepare before you go. If there are any orders in place, bring those with you to the consultation. Be prepared to open the consultation with a concise description of your situation and outcome you seek. Make a list of questions and concerns so you don’t forget to raise them during the meeting.

Ask about legal fees – does the attorney charge by the hour or provide services for a flat fee? Will you need to provide an upfront retainer or deposit. If so, how much? What happens to that retainer or deposit at the end of the case? Will it be returned to you? How often will you be billed? What types of expenses will you be charged for? Does the lawyer accept credit cards or offer a payment plan? What happens if you get behind on your bill?

Ask about lawyer accessibility and communications – does the lawyer have a policy about the length of time it takes to return calls or respond to emails? Does the lawyer use email in his or her practice at all? Will you be able to reach the lawyer via cell phone? How will the lawyer keep you informed about the status of your case? I give my client’s my cell phone number for use during business hours and make every effort to return calls or reply to emails same day, or the next day. Sometimes that means I call clients at 7pm or respond to an email at 10pm but I have never had a client unhappy to be contacted after hours.

Ask about the process and timing – based on your circumstances, what does the lawyer advise be done and what is the process? How long will it take. It is important to have a realistic understanding of how long the process will take. Unfortunately, legal proceedings sometimes take months, or longer, to resolve depending on the issues.

Ask about experience and qualifications – does the lawyer have experience with your type of case? How long has the lawyer been practicing? Does the lawyer have any specialized training or certification?

Don’t feel pressured to hire the attorney during the initial consultation. Take a few days to think about the meeting, and interview other attorneys. Once you decide on an attorney you will set up another appointment to sign a representation agreement and take care of any retainer or deposit requirements. The representation agreement is the contract between you and your attorney. Read it carefully and ask the lawyer to explain anything you do not understand.

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Most people will go to attorneys for advice with a legal issue that they need help in solving. These people know that this particular attorney is qualified in all areas of Law and should be able to give them some good advice during the first consultation. Most attorneys will give clients a free consultation on the first visit and this is one of the finest low cost legal services available today.

Some of the legal services that people need can be accomplished with very little help from the outside world. There are many legal forms available through the internet and office supply warehouses that do not require a Law degree to fill them them out. Some people are able to get free legal forms through the internet and print them out on the home printer.

These forms provide a low cost legal service and will usually take care of personal business such as the transfer of title on an automobile or a rental agreement. Some low cost legal services are performed at a court house and are adjudicated by a Judge such as marriages and divorces. Both of these legal matters do not require a lawyer to be present unless there is a prenuptial agreement involved or a division of property to be determined before the Judge can make a final ruling.

Most people know about the legal services that are available free of charge to anyone in town. The legal aid offices in any city in the United States are filled with attorneys who are willing to devote a significant amount of free time to volunteer work at the legal aid clinic. There are legal aid societies that have attorneys as members and people can consult with them on any pending legal matter.

Some attorney’s are only to work for the poor, but there are legal services that are low cost for people who are gainfully employed. Most of the legal services that any attorney provides will be thoroughly discussed over the telephone and this call will be handled by a receptionist. The receptionist will provide a basic price list for services and state what the hourly fee is for many of the legal services.

Some law practices are formed to provide low cost legal services to the public. For one set price it is possible for a person to get an uncontested divorce, create a Last Will and Testament or create powers of attorney that can be used for family situations and for the person to keep on hand for emergencies.