Construction Law

Questions to Ask a Construction Lawyer Before Hiring Them

Because of the prevalence of litigation in the construction industry, it’s a good idea for construction companies to have one of our Greensboro construction law attorneys on retainer or available to help them with legal actions. Finding the right legal representation is an important part of the process and can have a drastic impact on the outcome of your legal cases. To find the right representation, there are questions that you should ask before hiring an attorney. In this article, a Greensboro construction law firm discusses the questions to ask a construction lawyer before hiring them.

Who Handles the Case?

The first step in the process is to look at the law firm that you want to represent you. If that law firm has more than one legal representative working there, it’s important to determine which one will be handling your case. In many law firms, any one of the lawyers can do a consultation with you to see if you are a good fit as a client. However, the person that does your consultation may not be the one representing you in specific cases. This is often because of availability and specialization within the law firm.

Depending on your type of case, there may be one or multiple lawyers representing you. Those lawyers can be chosen because of availability reasons as well as what they specialized in. Your goal is to determine who would represent you in specific types of cases so that you know who to investigate further before making a final decision.

Qualifications

The next question asked is about your lawyer’s qualifications. Every lawyer is qualified to represent you in a specific type of law and under specific circumstances. You want to find out what certifications, specializations, experience, and expertise qualifies a Greensboro construction attorney to represent you.

At the very least, your lawyer should have a legal degree and be registered with the bar of that state. From there, look at their experience to see if your lawyer has the right amount of experience and the right type of experience to represent you in a specific type of case. Lawyers should be able to provide documentation and detailed explanations of their background. It is important to be careful of lawyers that cannot provide any type of documentation to back up their claims as they may be either exaggerating their experience or not telling you the truth about their qualifications.

Similar Cases and Resolutions

Have a conversation with a lawyer that will be representing you to talk about their previous case experience and ask about cases similar to your own. The application of law can vary widely between the different types of cases. A lawyer with similar experience to the problems that you need to handle is your best chance at a successful resolution.

You should also ask about the resolutions that the lawyer was able to get. You want to see what kind of outcome you can expect if they represent you. For example, a lawyer that consistently wins cases with arbitration may not be the best choice to represent you in a case that goes to trial. Ultimately, you want to find a lawyer that has experience in a case like yours that consistently gets the resolution that you’re looking for.

Payment Terms

Another important thing to find out before you hire a lawyer is the payment terms. Every lawyer is different when it comes to how they accept payments and incur fees. Understanding how your lawyer expects to be paid makes it possible for you to determine if you can afford that lawyer or not. It’s important to remember that any amount that a lawyer quotes you for a case is subjective unless the lawyer works for a flat fee.

Legal proceedings often incur costs as they progress and, without knowing exactly how your case will go, a lawyer cannot accurately estimate the cost. The most important pieces of information to know are what payment methods your lawyer accepts and when payment is due. Having to pay the cost of the case out front may significantly change how your company can afford the lawyer as opposed to making full payment after the case has been settled. Discuss this with your lawyer to make sure that you fully understand how payment will be handled before taking action.

Malpractice Insurance

One final piece of information you may want to have before choosing a lawyer is that your lawyer has malpractice insurance. It may be uncomfortable asking a lawyer about malpractice, but it is an important part of the hiring process. Malpractice insurance covers lawyers in case they are sued for legal malpractice. For you, this means that you will be able to sue the lawyer for malpractice and receive most if not all of the judgment. In many cases, the amounts awarded in malpractice cases are so substantial that the lawyers cannot afford them. Having malpractice insurance is, ultimately, protection for the client instead of the lawyer.

There are many more questions that you can ask a lawyer before hiring them to take a case. In many instances, construction companies are looking for lawyers to represent them when problems arise, which means they will want to keep that lawyer on retainer. There are many attorneys that service the construction industry, so finding the right one for you is a matter of trial and review to see which one meets your needs. If you have questions about how to find the right construction lawyer for you, contact a Greensboro construction lawyer from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

If you would like to speak with one of our Greensboro construction law attorneys, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.