Choosing a Gold Coast lawyers is no easy task. It can be intimidating to ask questions about the legal system and what your options are, but it’s necessary if you want to make sure that you’re being represented well. Here are some questions to ask your lawyer before hiring them:
How long have you been in practice?
Here’s a good one. You want to know how long the Gold Coast lawyers has been practicing law, as well as how long they’ve been working in your particular area of law.
This will give you an idea of their experience and expertise in that particular area. If they’ve only been practicing for three years, then it might not be worth paying them $350 per hour if they don’t have much experience with the type of case you’re bringing forward.
If a lawyer has practiced for 10-15 years or more, on the other hand, then chances are that they’ll have plenty of experience under their belt when it comes to dealing with cases like yours—and that’s definitely something worth considering!
How much of your practice is devoted to cases like mine?
You should ask a lawyer how much of their practice is devoted to cases like yours. This will tell you how much experience they’ll have with the case at hand, which may help inform your decision about who to hire.
The second question you should ask is how much of the lawyer’s time will be spent on your case compared to administrative tasks such as billing, marketing, and other day-to-day office needs.
The more a lawyer spends on administrative tasks, the less he or she has available for legal work—which means that not only will it take longer for them to get back to you about something important (such as responding to discovery requests), but also that there won’t be any specialists working with him or her who are specifically tasked with research or writing motions in specific areas of law.
What are your fees, and how are they calculated?
Before you choose a lawyer, it’s important to ask about their fees. Your lawyer should give you an estimate of what their services will cost and explain how the fees are calculated.
The answer will vary from one attorney to another, but most lawyers charge on either an hourly basis or a flat rate for particular types of cases.
- An hourly fee is charged for time spent by the attorney on your case. For example, if your case requires extensive research into legal precedent and procedures, this task could take several hours—and thus many billable hours—to complete.
- A fixed-fee arrangement means that your lawyer agrees to provide services at a fixed price regardless of how long they work on your case (though some may come with additional charges). This arrangement can be beneficial if you don’t want any surprises at the end of the process – knowing in advance how much money will be owed helps reduce stress when planning costs out over time!
What will we owe when this is over?
If you’re new to the legal world, it can be difficult to know what to expect.
You may have heard horror stories about overpriced lawyers who charge exorbitant fees, but you also don’t want to choose a lawyer who doesn’t have the experience or skill needed to get you results.
You’ll likely have a lot of questions for your potential attorney, but start with these five:
- What will we owe when this is over?
- How much will I be paid for my time?
- How much will I be paid for expenses?
- What’s the final outcome if we win or lose? Will there be any penalties awarded in addition to that payout?
Conclusion
We know this can be a daunting process, but we’re here to help. If you have any questions about what we’ve discussed in this article, feel free to reach out and ask to the best Gold Coast lawyers. They would be happy to answer any questions or concerns that might arise during the process of choosing a lawyer.
