3 Things You Need To Know About Working With An Attorney
Posted on: 10 December 2014
Share
Many people need to use the services of a lawyer. If you are working with an attorney for the first time you might be wondering what you should and shouldn't do. Here are 3 things that you need to know about working with an attorney.
1. Time Is Money, So Keep Communication On Point
Most lawyers bill by the hour. This means that if you waste their time, you might have to pay for it. This doesn't mean that you can't small talk on the phone for a couple moments, but you shouldn't use the lawyer's time to shoot the breeze. Instead, when you talk to the lawyer, keep your conversation on point and direct. You should ask them in advance if there are any documents that they need or anything that they need you to do. Remember that many times it is up to you how fast things get resolved. If you can get the lawyer all the information they need quickly, they will be able to file your documents faster.
2. Don't Ask For Free Services
Even though you might think that attorney's are made of money, that is not the case. Many lawyers have student loans, families to support and their own overhead for working with a firm. This means that their livelihood depends on you paying for their services. They worked hard to become experts in a given area and they should be compensated as such.
Even though you may be tempted to ask your attorney to make a phone call for you, write a letter or do some work for free, don't! It is not fair to them and it puts them in a difficult position. In addition, they have to pay filing fees for the work that they do. Thus you are not only asking them to give their services for free, you are asking them to put their own money into getting something resolved.
3. Attorney's Are Not Miracle Makers
Although an attorney can help you get the best outcome possible, they are not miracle makers. They can only work with what you give them. If all of the facts in a case are against you, they can only do so much to help you. This is why you should not ask your attorney to guarantee an outcome. There is no way they can predict which way a case will go. Instead, they will do their best to get the best outcome possible, within reason.
These are just three things you need to know about working with an attorney.