How to Find a Lawyer in Your County
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.
Cómo Encontrar un Abogado en Su Condado
¿Está pensando en contratar a un abogado y no sabe por dónde empezar? El mejor lugar para comenzar su búsqueda es con el servicio de referencia de abogados de su condado.