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This might be a strange question, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Amongst myself and a number of friends (whom work in tech), we've observed a similar difficul

by matmann2001 6y ago

This might be a strange question, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Amongst myself and a number of friends (whom work in tech), we've observed a similar difficulty with meeting and employing lawyers for either personal- or business-related issues. We all seemed to arrive at the same conclusion that we don't know any lawyers personally, they don't seem to be part of our extended circle of acquaintances, and are difficult to find locally and evaluate their ability to handle whatever the need is, without shelling out a decent sum of money upfront. Maybe this is unique to us, or maybe others here have experienced this too (please chime in). I suppose what I'm asking is what are good ways to find local lawyers with the right specialization (most of the half-decent recommendation services I've seen online are paid services). Also, where are y'all hiding? Can I buy one of you a beer?

terminalcommand 6y ago
I am not an immigration lawyer in US. I practice law in a different country. But in general most lawyers put in a lot of work to find and retain clients. My advice could be to ask around if anybody can recommend any good lawyer, no matter what field he is specialized in. Ask that lawyer if he/she can help you with your questions. If he/she can’t he/she will refer to a colleague that is specialized in the field you are looking for. Lawyers know lawyers :), we network a lot. Another way could be to try to research the topic you want to get answer to online. Most law firms/lawyers publish informative articles when they have free time for marketing purposes. Contact the lawyer/firm having written that article. And believe me, if you connect with a lawyer, he’ll come and connect with all your friends who are looking for a lawyer too :).
- proberts 6y ago
  I'd definitely let you buy me a beer. I'd say the approach is similar to finding people in other professional fields. Ask someone you know and trust in the legal field for a recommendation for someone in a specialty. So, for example, if you have a relationship with a corporate lawyer, ask him or her for a recommendation for a good employment lawyer. Lawyers know lawyers and one way or another likely will be able to connect you to another good lawyer in a specific field or location.
fivre 6y ago
https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Lawyer-Referral-Service https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Lawyer-Refe... exists for basically exactly this purpose, and similar services are offered by most state bar associations. Yes, you do have to /pay/ for lawyers, they do law stuff as their job, not as a favor for random acquaintances. Basic consultation to establish whether a firm is a fit for you should be fairly low-cost or free.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
pnw_hazor 6y ago
TLDR; Finding a good lawyer is very difficult without a trusted personal referral. You are getting some good advice below. But remember that at least half of lawyers are below average. And a lot really really suck. Often price can be a clue, but not always. We have taken over many projects from high-priced name brand firms that were piles of garbage. Most if not all of our new clients are referred to us by other people that have worked with us. Asking any lawyer you know to provide a referral for a different area of law can sometimes work out. But be careful if they are referring you to another attorney in their own firm because they may be financially incentivized to do so. Also, most referral services do not consider the competency or quality of the referred attorneys. Usually, attorneys who sign up to those services simply provide a list of their practice areas/interests and maybe billing rate. Then the referral services simply round-robin their way through the specialty lists. Another thing to keep in mind is that most good lawyers will be busy, usually very busy.
TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
Excuse the brevity, and I don’t mean to sound harsh, apologies in advance. Presently doing two legal things that involve legal experts. So anyway, from my experience: No, you can’t buy your lawyer a beer. Your lawyer is not your friend. No lawyer wants to give you anything resembling advice, or even commentary lest it be construed as advice, for free, out of contract, over a beer. > without shelling out a decent sum of money upfront. You’ve answered your own question. We don’t ask doctors and dentists to “come round for a beer wink wink nudge nudge”, so stop asking lawyers and tech people for free advice too.
- travisjungroth 6y ago
  It’s not obvious that OP was asking for legal advice in exchange for a beer.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
    My intention was to make it obvious.
- Cd00d 6y ago
  No we don't, but I also have a really hard time finding physicians and dentists that I like and trust. It's not about getting work for free, it's about trust.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
    That's a fair point.
usr1106 6y ago
So how do find a good software developer without paying a lot of salary for trial and error? The real good ones are rarely available, there are many more who will create a buggy mess. And now imagine, that you don't understand anything about software development yourself. So what you are asking for is simply impossible, there is no silver bullet.

terminalcommand 6y ago

I am not an immigration lawyer in US. I practice law in a different country. But in general most lawyers put in a lot of work to find and retain clients. My advice could be to ask around if anybody can recommend any good lawyer, no matter what field he is specialized in. Ask that lawyer if he/she can help you with your questions. If he/she can’t he/she will refer to a colleague that is specialized in the field you are looking for. Lawyers know lawyers :), we network a lot. Another way could be to try to research the topic you want to get answer to online. Most law firms/lawyers publish informative articles when they have free time for marketing purposes. Contact the lawyer/firm having written that article. And believe me, if you connect with a lawyer, he’ll come and connect with all your friends who are looking for a lawyer too :).

proberts 6y ago
I'd definitely let you buy me a beer. I'd say the approach is similar to finding people in other professional fields. Ask someone you know and trust in the legal field for a recommendation for someone in a specialty. So, for example, if you have a relationship with a corporate lawyer, ask him or her for a recommendation for a good employment lawyer. Lawyers know lawyers and one way or another likely will be able to connect you to another good lawyer in a specific field or location.

fivre 6y ago

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Lawyer-Referral-Service https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Lawyer-Refe... exists for basically exactly this purpose, and similar services are offered by most state bar associations. Yes, you do have to /pay/ for lawyers, they do law stuff as their job, not as a favor for random acquaintances. Basic consultation to establish whether a firm is a fit for you should be fairly low-cost or free.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

pnw_hazor 6y ago

TLDR; Finding a good lawyer is very difficult without a trusted personal referral. You are getting some good advice below. But remember that at least half of lawyers are below average. And a lot really really suck. Often price can be a clue, but not always. We have taken over many projects from high-priced name brand firms that were piles of garbage. Most if not all of our new clients are referred to us by other people that have worked with us. Asking any lawyer you know to provide a referral for a different area of law can sometimes work out. But be careful if they are referring you to another attorney in their own firm because they may be financially incentivized to do so. Also, most referral services do not consider the competency or quality of the referred attorneys. Usually, attorneys who sign up to those services simply provide a list of their practice areas/interests and maybe billing rate. Then the referral services simply round-robin their way through the specialty lists. Another thing to keep in mind is that most good lawyers will be busy, usually very busy.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago

Excuse the brevity, and I don’t mean to sound harsh, apologies in advance. Presently doing two legal things that involve legal experts. So anyway, from my experience: No, you can’t buy your lawyer a beer. Your lawyer is not your friend. No lawyer wants to give you anything resembling advice, or even commentary lest it be construed as advice, for free, out of contract, over a beer. > without shelling out a decent sum of money upfront. You’ve answered your own question. We don’t ask doctors and dentists to “come round for a beer wink wink nudge nudge”, so stop asking lawyers and tech people for free advice too.

travisjungroth 6y ago
It’s not obvious that OP was asking for legal advice in exchange for a beer.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  My intention was to make it obvious.
Cd00d 6y ago
No we don't, but I also have a really hard time finding physicians and dentists that I like and trust. It's not about getting work for free, it's about trust.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  That's a fair point.

usr1106 6y ago

So how do find a good software developer without paying a lot of salary for trial and error? The real good ones are rarely available, there are many more who will create a buggy mess. And now imagine, that you don't understand anything about software development yourself. So what you are asking for is simply impossible, there is no silver bullet.