As a small business owner, its quite possible that you run into conflicts that might lead to lawsuits and you might need to find a lawyer to help you solve the problems. Finding the "right lawyer" could be very challenging or even intimidating, especially for people who has never working with an attorney before. However, by taking the right approach you might find the right lawyer who can best help you.
Just like shopping for other products or services, the first step is to shop around. There are a number of resources where you can use to find a lawyer.
First of all, you can look for recommendations from your business contacts, friends or family. If anybody you know was previously involved in a similar case, be sure to ask that person about the his/her experience and that person might even recommend a good lawyer to you.
Your local bar association is another good resource for finding the right lawyer. Check your phone book or do a web search to find the contact information of your local bar association. They might maintain a lawyer referral lists searchable by specialty. Not only can your local bar association refer specialized attorneys, they can also provide you with information such as whether there is any ethical complaint or inquiry associated with a attorney.
You can also get help from lawyer referral services. You can find a list of lawyer referral services in your yellow book under "Lawyers", "Attorneys" or "Attorney Referral Services", or you can search them on the Internet. These services usually charge you a fee but some services might allow you talk to a lawyer without any charge.
In addition, you might come across advertisements from attorneys or law firms. Just like dealing with other type of advertisements, you should be careful and dont trust the advertisement too much.
Beside the resources mentioned above, there are a number of other options to find a lawyer, such as looking at the phone book or doing web search, etc. Dont settle down with the first lawyer that you come across. Make sure to interview a few attorneys before you make your final decision.
John Lee is a freelance writer who has written articles for websites such as
Attorney Help (http://attorney.eguidepro.com).