7 Rules to Prevent a Lawyer from Taking Your Money

This article comes with a big caveat: Most lawyers are good; a few are bad. Among the bad you either have the bad-incompetent or the bad-unethical. In worst cases you have both. But then again, just replace the word lawyer with any profession and the statement remains the same. There are always a few "bad apples," but that doesn't mean apples are bad. This is something you already know. So recently I have seen a few cases of bad lawyering, so I’ve put together a few basic rules to prevent a lawyer from unfairly taking your money. 

1. Always ask an attorney for the fees listed and in a written retainer agreement before any work is done. An attorney must tell you his or her fees for the services they will perform. If you do not require a written agreement you will be at the mercy of the attorney and will have no control if the fees escalate.

2. Always get a second opinion. There are a lot of attorneys out there as noted in #4 below. Here's a secret: A lawyer is usually allowed to charge you the highest possible fee for the services performed - but only if you give them permission to charge that fee. The lawyer's high fees will usually be supported by the courts. For any legal service sought there will always several legal providers competing for your business. Ask around, you will get a good idea of the fee range for the service you seek.

3. Use the internet. Look up the attorney. Try web searching the attorney's full name or search "What's the reputation of the attorney JOE SMITH?" and see what the results show. Look for reviews about an attorney's services on independent websites (like Google Places, Kudzu, Google Plus, Avvo, or YP) to help evaluate the quality of lawyers' services knowing that (according to Dale Cardwell) about 60% of client reviews may be bogus.

4. Check out the attorney's state bar status at http://www.GABar.org. If the attorney you are investigating has been disbarred or disciplined you will find that information here. You can call the state bar and file a grievance if your attorney has been "bad." The state bar is there to serve and is well financed by the regular fees required from almost 30,000 Georgia attorneys.

5. Find out the law school the attorney attended and search that law school's ranking; this will help evaluate quality. Just look up "law school rankings." Even though low ranking law schools do produce good attorneys, generally more good attorneys come from high ranking schools. Note that Georgia has some of the highest and lowest ranked law schools in the US. 

6.  Hire a specialist attorney for special legal issues. Remember, you are hiring an attorney to help resolve issues that deal with your money and permanently affect your life. Cutting corners and resolving important issues cheaply end with bad results that may lack in quality or effectiveness. Make sure that the attorney is known for practicing that specific area of law. I have seen many badly written estate plans often written by attorneys that have no experience in writing wills or trusts. Just because someone is a lawyer doesn't mean the lawyer is actually experienced in Estate Planning. Pride and greed are both costly and hard to distinguish; and unnecessary to resolve legal issues.

7. Go with your gut. Only work with an attorney with whom you feel comfortable. You could possibly find an attorney with a great reputation and still not feel right about the relationship. If you are not comfortable with the attorney, look for another. Use your intuition; it’s there for a reason.

*Robert S. Meyring, of Meyring Law Firm offers complimentary phone consultations at 678-217-4369. The Meyring Law Firm is located 200 feet east of the railroad crossing on Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. More information at www.MeyringFirm.com.