How To Hire A Solicitor: 7 Questions You Need To Ask

how to go about hiring a solicitor

When you hire a solicitor, chances are you might already be stressed about something. Maybe you’re hoping to buy your first house and you aren’t sure who can help you get everything handled efficiently. Or perhaps you’ve suffered an accident at work and need to make a personal injury claim*.

Whatever the case may be, you’d like your solicitor to make things easier for you, not harder.

This is not always how it goes. Fortunately, there are some simple questions you can use to avoid hiring a bad solicitor. No matter what area of law you’re concerned with, when you’re looking for the right team to handle your case, make sure to ask…

Hiring A Solicitor: What Questions To Ask

1. Do They Understand My Case?

Some solicitors might agree to work with you before they even ask for details regarding your problem. If you’ve suffered an accident for example, and need to find a personal injury solicitor, ideally they will ask you for plenty of details before they take on your case.

Not every accident that happens can result in a payout and if your personal injury solicitor acts like they do, then you’ll know you need to go somewhere else. Similarly, in any area of law, a solicitor should work to understand your specific circumstances before they say they can help you out.

2. Can They Explain What They’re Doing?

The law should not be difficult to understand, and yet because of the legal language, small prints and numerous conditions that apply to certain cases, it can sometimes seem impenetrable.

When you’re looking for a good solicitor, you should take note early on with how patient they are in explaining how they will help you. The better they’re able to communicate, the more comfortable you will feel.

You should also browse their website to get an idea of who they are. Many will have legal guides to help you out.

3. Will They Keep Me Updated On What’s Happening?

You should ask this question directly. Let your solicitor know that you want to be updated regularly on any movement that happens in your case.

They should be willing to do this no matter what. If you find your prospective solicitor is talking in circles and trying to avoid a commitment to updates, then start looking elsewhere.

4. Can They Talk To Me In Plain English?

Likewise, you want your solicitor to speak plain English.

If they’re bad at communicating, or seem to be actually trying to keep you in the dark, then you can do a lot better.

Many solicitors do their best to make the legal process a transparent and simple one and you can consult government agencies if you’re still at a loss. You shouldn’t settle for any less.

5. Do They Take Time To Understand My Concerns?

In tough cases, you might be nervous or emotionally sensitive. Perhaps you’ve suffered some form of medical negligence* or need to make a car crash claim*. In these instances, an experienced personal injury* solicitor will not only understand the ins and outs of the legal problem, but also that it is an extremely important event in your life that should be handled with care.

As such, they will take as much time to understand any concerns you have at any time.

6. Can They Outline What Charges May Be Incurred?

A solicitor cannot always give a definite number on how much you could be charged. At the end of the day it is not always easy to predict how long a case will go on for, or what the end result will be.

However, you should be able to get an outline of what charges to expect in the most likely outcomes.

7. Do They Have Previous Successes Similar To My Case?

Even if a solicitor gets a perfect score on all these questions, they may not have the experience you need to win your case.

Ask if they can point to previous cases they won and to illustrate how it will help with yours.

Our legal team of are experts in numerous areas of law, so if you want to learn why we’re one of the best personal injury solicitors in Dublin, or why we’re one of the most respected voices in bankruptcy law, then start talking with us today and we can begin to help you win your case.

Anthony Joyce

Anthony founded Anthony Joyce & Co. Solicitors in March 2004 in the oldest part of Dublin known as the Liberties (originally a tax free part of Dublin!!). He is focused on building the practice in certain niche areas of law such as financial litigation and personal insolvency. Entrepreneurship is in his blood and he is on the board of a number of start-ups. If Anthony is not available he could be watching a SpaceX rocket launch, spending time with his two children or playing 5-a-side.

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