Choosing the Right Employment Lawyer For You

Like most every type of law, employment law has many different attorneys that focus on the specific field. If you have an employment law problem, choosing the right attorney for you can be an extremely difficult and stressful situation. Here are some ideas as to what you can look for in a potential labor law attorney to represent you that can make your decision a little bit easier.

1) Expertise
The first thing that you want to look for in a potential attorney is whether or not that attorney has specific expertise in your case. But what does your case specifically entail? How am I to know if the attorney has expertise in my specific area? Well, the best advice is to meet with the attorney and ask questions. Most attorneys around the Knoxville or Nashville area offer free consultations. Take them up on this offer. Once you are in the consultation, explain your situation to the attorney and follow-up with questions regarding their experience with the type of issue. The consultation is a lot like an interview for both you and the attorney. The attorney will be interviewing you to learn more about your situation. The attorney will be asking a number of questions. Why shouldn’t you? You should be interviewing the attorney to make sure that he or she is what you want and strong in the area of your case. Learn about the legal issues in your situation and be sure to ask the attorney about their experience with those matters.

2) Honesty
When you are looking for an attorney to represent you, you should always seek an attorney that is completely open and honest about their practice, their fee and their plan for your case. Fees can vary from a fee to be paid up-front to a percentage (normally between 25% to 40%) of any amounts that you are awarded. Make sure to know this before picking an attorney. Just like anything else, you do not want to open a bill at the end of your case and be surprised by the costs. Beyond their fees, make sure you find an attorney that you feel will be honest with you about your case, including both the positives and the negatives. An honest, open relationship between an attorney and client can make the difference between a good experience with a positive outcome and a bad experience with a disappointing result.

3) Comfort Level
Mainly you need to find an attorney that you are comfortable with because you will be spending a fair amount of time communicating with them. When you go in for the initial (and typically free) consultation, make sure that you feel comfortable in the office. Make sure that you feel comfortable communicating with the attorney. A lawsuit is rarely a quick process. It takes time and effort, from both you and your attorney. Your attorney should be your partner in this case. You should feel like he or she is on your side and genuine enough to represent you in your case. If you do not feel comfortable with a potential attorney, you should keep looking.

If you follow the above guidelines then you should have a good start to choosing which attorney you want to represent you in your matter. There are many good attorneys out there but not all attorneys are the right match for you. If you have an employment law issue in the Knoxville or Nashville area and need help getting the process started, please feel free to contact our Employment law attorneys at the Higgins Firm and they will be happy to answer your questions.