If you were defrauded in a business deal or were injured because of someone else’s negligent or intentional misconduct, how do you find a lawyer? Most people do not know a lawyer. Even most businesses don’t have a lawyer.
You could check the yellow pages. You could read signs on the side of the bus. You could ask friends. How many lawyers do they know? How do they know if the lawyer excels? But do want just any lawyer? Wouldn’t you like an attorney who has handled your type of case before? Wouldn’t you want a great lawyer? How do find such a lawyer?
A brief story illustrates the problem:
A few years ago my son was falsely accused of a serious crime in a city 800 miles away. He needed a great lawyer. But how do you find such a lawyer in such a distant location?
It would have been nice to have an attorney I could call for recommendations. Instead, I spent hours looking for a lawyer for my son.
I did not know any lawyers in the area. A criminal defense lawyer I knew in my area did not know any criminal defense lawyers in my son’s area. So I did what many people do: I searched the internet. I came up with six or seven names to call.
I called the lawyers and gave them a brief summary of the nature of the case. Two did not handle this type of case. Before disconnecting the call, I asked who they recommended for such a case? And why? After asking the same questions to 6-7 lawyers, the same name popped up three times. Two others arose twice. I called these three lawyers and set up appointments for the next week so my son and I could meet with the attorneys. The meetings were important because it allowed us to make a face-to-face assessment and to determine whether we felt comfortable with the attorney and how he would handle this case. We both agreed on the same lawyer.
With the lawyer’s valuable experience, ability to point out the holes in the evidence, and the respect the District Attorney had for the attorney, the DA chose not to file charges against my son.
To get a recommendation to a great lawyer you should ask a lawyer who has years of experience and thousands of contacts. Guy Mailly has 36 years of experience and knows hundreds of lawyers—some great, some lousy. Talk to him for 5-10 minutes. If he agrees that you have a valid case, he will refer you to lawyers who excel in the area of law that you need.
