Are you thinking about hiring a lawyer and don’t know where to start? The best place to begin your search is with your county’s lawyer referral service.
You can find your county’s attorney referral service using the American Bar Attorney Referral Directory
Each county has its own lawyer referral and information service. While the details can be different depending on the county, the service generally provides the following:
Initial Consultation
To ensure you are connected to a lawyer who is familiar with your legal issue, it’s important to start with a consultation with your local lawyer referral service. Different states will have slightly different offerings, for example, California requires each referral service to have employees who speak both English and Spanish.
The initial consultation is your opportunity to describe what your legal issues are so the appropriate type of lawyer can be determined. Depending on what county your case is in, this initial consultation may be free, or it may cost a small fee. Even if the consultation is free, it doesn’t mean the attorneys are if you end up retaining him or her.
Referral to an Attorney
After consulting with you about your case, the lawyer referral service will recommend an attorney based on the details of your case. There are many different kinds of lawyers and many types of law. Just because someone is an attorney doesn’t mean they are the right attorney to help you with your specific issue. Every county keeps a list of attorneys, and what type of work they do, in order to help connect them to people in need.
Keep in mind there isn’t a guarantee the recommended attorney will take your case–it’s possible he or she could have a conflict of interest (for example, they already represent the other side in your case). If one attorney is not a match, continue in your search.
Take action, get started on JusticeDirect.com
NEED HELP WITH YOUR JUSTICE JOURNEY?
The quest for justice is never easy, particularly when it comes to getting your money back. However, thanks to advances in technology, it has become easier. Quest for Justice’s first app, JusticeDirect, is the only app of its kind designed to support people without lawyers to resolve their disputes and get their money back, both in and out of court.
The first step to getting money back is through a letter demanding payment from the other party JusticeDirect offers customizable demand letters for free. If the letter demanding payment does not work, then the next step is taking them to court.
JusticeDirect* will guide users every step of the way through the small claims court process by helping them:
- Understand the legal process;
- Evaluate the pros and cons that come with taking someone to court;
- Generate small claims court forms; and,
- Avoid common mistakes when filing your forms and serving notice on the other side.
*Currently, JusticeDirect can only help litigants sue in California’s small claims court.