# How do you find an attorney? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251 "2011-01-19T22:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/1 "2011-01-19T22:03:04Z")
My mother-in-law is looking to get a divorce and her legal residence (for tax purposes) is in Washington State. The only other people we know there are her husband’s family. Normally, I’d ask people I know for recommendations but can’t in this case – any agencies or web sites around that can help find a decent attorney? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/2 "2011-01-19T22:23:35Z")
[http://www.findlaw.com/](http://www.findlaw.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/3 "2011-01-19T22:34:01Z")
Since there has been one serious answer already… Turn over a rock? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/4 "2011-01-19T22:46:29Z")
One of my hobbies is photographing county courthouses. In doing so, one of my observations has been that there are a lot of lawyers’ offices within a block or two of almost every county courthouse. (Whether the lawyers specialise in divorce is another matter, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/5 "2011-01-19T23:10:18Z")
Perhaps you could e-mail a local law school in your M-i-L’s area and ask a family law practitioner for recommendations? The worst they’ll do is ignore your e-mail. Make it clear to them that you’re not seeking legal advice or asking for confidential information, but rather you’re just asking for a few names you can pass along. Just a thought. It’s hard looking for a lawyer when you don’t have any recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/6 "2011-01-19T23:13:04Z")
[www.martindale.com](http://www.martindale.com) isn’t a bad search engine for lawyers either. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/7 "2011-01-19T23:18:43Z")
Second recommendation for [www.martindale.com](http://www.martindale.com) Search under Family Law for the city in Washington where she has her residence. She may want to go visit 2 or 3 different attorney’s before she decides which one to retain. This will provide her with an objective point of view on who can best represent her. It will also most likely preclude her husband from using those respective attorneys as well, due to conflict of interest. A good defense is just as important as a good offense. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/8 "2011-01-19T23:37:56Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > It will also most likely preclude her husband from using those respective attorneys as well, due to conflict of interest. no, it won’t. The super “good” divorce attorneys who you’d care to do that to are hip to that game - they’re not going to get into specifics of your case that would conflict them out unless you sign on the line which is dotted. OP, [here is a link to the Wash. state bar association’s website](http://www.wsba.org/atj/contact/legasst.htm) that tells you how to get legal help if the prospective client is indigent/lower income, or if he or she is not. Most of the attorneys on referral services are competent and have moderate rates. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/9 "2011-01-20T00:32:28Z")
Go to a cemetery and dig down eight feet. The only good lawyer is a dead lawyer, and deep down, they are really good. I’ll second [findlaw.com](http://findlaw.com) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/10 "2011-01-20T01:46:00Z")
Finding an attorney isn’t necessarily the same thing as finding a _good_ attorney, though. I wonder if attorneys get reviews on Yelp… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/11 "2011-01-20T01:57:32Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Finding an attorney isn’t necessarily the same thing as finding a _good_ attorney, though. I wonder if attorneys get reviews on Yelp… It looks like they [do](http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=divorce+attorney&ns=1&find_loc=seattle). However, I wouldn’t use Yelp to find a professional – I recently read an article about how various medical professionals arrange to have multiple positive reviews posted to make themselves look better. Obviously, the ones who do this are the ones most likely to engage in other types of fraud. OTOH, once you find an attorney using the many excellent suggestions in this thread, it wouldn’t hurt to look him or her up on Yelp just to see if anyone has anything particularly negative or unusual to say. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/12 "2011-01-20T02:05:32Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Finding an attorney isn’t necessarily the same thing as finding a _good_ attorney, though. I wonder if attorneys get reviews on Yelp… While I agree that you want a good attorney in the sense that they’re ethical, competent, and a mesh with you and your personality preference, I think your advice can be taken to also mean that you want a good attorney, like a super duper awesome, never loses in court attorney. Mom doesn’t need Clarence Darrow billing out at $500 an hour for your run-of-the-mill divorce. The judge has probably seen everything under the sun, and is going to know what he’s going to order the parties to do probably before the parties walk through the door. (this is in jest, written to make a point - no, justice isn’t preordained). This is doubly true if there are no minor kids involved. I would also not give much stock to people’s reviews of an attorney that discuss their case - it’s going to be a bias-filled review, spurned on by that reviewer’s loss in court. In litigation, one side’s always gotta lose, and so you’re always going to get one litigant walking away feeling like their attorney was any good at his or her job. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/13 "2011-01-20T02:11:56Z")
that should be “wasn’t any good at his or her job” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/14 "2011-01-20T05:25:05Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > no, it won’t. The super “good” divorce attorneys who you’d care to do that to are hip to that game - they’re not going to get into specifics of your case that would conflict them out unless you sign on the line which is dotted. Most attorney’s will sit and listen to all kinds of details for $200 fee. And depending upon the size of the marital assets that are to split, $200 is a cheap fee to block your spouse from getting decent counsel. A divorce is nothing but a business transaction, and you do whatever you can keep the leverage on your side. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/15 "2011-01-20T05:36:39Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Most attorney’s will sit and listen to all kinds of details for $200 fee. And depending upon the size of the marital assets that are to split, $200 is a cheap fee to block your spouse from getting decent counsel. > > A divorce is nothing but a business transaction, and you do whatever you can keep the leverage on your side. dude, you have no idea what you’re talking about. attorneys who are “decent” in the way that you are defining them to be - i.e. expecting to receive a tactical advantage by conflicting them out of representation - are not going to sit and listen to details for $200. to anyone else still reading along: Wilbo523 has made another misstatement of law in another thread. I’d suggest using this tidbit of information when you assess his credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/16 "2011-01-20T05:43:20Z")
Since the OP is seeking advice about legal advice, this is best suited for IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/17 "2011-01-21T17:02:34Z")
Look in the[COLOR=“YellowGreen”] yellow pages[/COLOR]! 🙂 You will find all kinds listed. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/18 "2011-01-21T17:36:30Z")
_How do you find an atorney? Look in the yellow pages! You will find all kinds listed._ As a minimum requirement, they should be able to spell attorney though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beniamino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Beniamino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beniamino)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/19 "2011-01-21T17:44:14Z")
For a good divorce lawyer, you might want to check out the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. [http://www.aaml.org/](http://www.aaml.org/). They’ll have links to accredited lawyers in your county. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251/20 "2011-01-21T18:01:03Z")
There is also [www.avvo.com](http://www.avvo.com). Their ratings are at least somewhat correlated with actual competence, although it’s also fairly easy to game yourself to a high rating. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-an-attorney/568251.md?page=2)