I’m in the unhappy position of probably needing an attorney to help resolve some issues with a former employer (unpaid wages, etc.). I have no idea whether I really need a labor law specialist, or indeed how to even begin choosing an attorney at all. (The attorneys my friends and family have dealt with are mostly real estate specialists.) Thanks in part to the situation in which I currently find myself, I do not have a lot of money to spare for initial consultations and the like (I’ve seen quotes for as much as $400/hr :eek: ).
I’ve come across a number of web sites that offer to match you up with a local attorney based on the details you provide, e.g. http://www.legalmatch.com/ . Any opinions on how good these services are? Suggestions for alternative methods of finding a decent attorney other than by Googling?
Any advice/comments on your own experiences will be very much appreciated.
I have no clue about for-profit legal matching services, but I know you can get a similar service for free in North Carolina. The state bar association has a program where lawyers sign up, indicating their particular field(s) and agreeing to do a half-hour consultation for $30 or less. The folks at the NCBA will even listen to your situation, and point you at the correct specialty, if you don’t already know.
If your bar association doesn’t do this, you could also check for people who have been certified as specialists in the correct area through the state bar.
Or you could talk to a real estate lawyer one of your friends/family really liked, and ask them who they know - usually people will have some idea who does what well in their vicinity.
Finally, in my experience, lawyers will talk to you on the phone for at least ten minutes and get an idea of whether they can help you, even give you an idea of what directions they might go in with the case, all without charging you. Don’t fear that the clock will start as soon as they pick up the phone - AFAIK, they have to make a formal agreement on fees with you before charging. Taking time out of billable hours to court new clients is part of the cost of doing business.
Yeah, well, I went to my local bar association when I wanted an attorney to write me a will. I specified that I wanted someone with experience accommodating gay relationships. They gave me someone who wouldn’t have known a gay couple if we bit him on the ass. Since we aren’t officially registered as domestic partners, he wanted to refer to my partner as my “friend”. I went ahead anyway, and I guess the resulting will is ok, but it didn’t make me think very well of the old bar assn.
You may want to try the New York City Bar Association’s Legal Referral Service. Participating lawyers limit their fees for a 1/2 hour consultation to $35.00.
IAAL and I’m sorry you believe you had a poor experience with the local bar association referral service, but keep in mind that in many places in the U.S. gay rights issues are not something most bar association referral services worry about. Attorneys sign up to be put on the referral list for criminal cases, or wills, or contracts, or what have you, and the nice woman who runs the bar association office refers people who want referrals to the lawyer on the list whose turn it is. You say you want a will, you get the next attorney on the wills list. After you, that attorney’s name circulates down to the end of the list and the next lawyer gets referred the next person who calls in for a will.
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