Does Experience Really Matter?

This is an interesting question, and especially apt when you are choosing an attorney.  The easy way to answer that is to say, "yes."  However, that is also far too simplistic.  Of course, experience matters , but how much experience, and what kind, and is there a direct correlation between experience of my attorney, and the fees they charge?

I like to bill myself as one of Central Ohio's most affordable attorneys.  Why do I say that?   Because, there are attorneys out there, who charge less, but more often than not, they have little to no experience.  You can find attorneys who charge no upfront retainer, and $50 monthly payments, but they likely have no experience in cases like yours.  I compare this to a situation, in which a father gives his daughter the keys to his prized Porsche, the day after she gets her drivers license.  Of course, that would likely not happen, because you don't want her learning to drive with that prized car, you want her to ding up the old Toyota, not the crown jewel of your automobile collection.

In the same way, you would probably not want her to drive the Porsche, you probably don't want to jeopardize the future of your loved one charged with a serious criminal charge, or the custody of your children, with someone who has little or no experience in those matters.  You don't want them "learning the law," on your dime, and at your expense.  If you were to choose those individuals, you will probably find out that by trying to save some money on attorney's you have cost yourself in the long run.  Attorneys not experienced in the cases they try, have a tendency to make mistakes, that at the very least will cost you money for them to fix them, and ultimately may doom your entire case.

I would also argue that, simply because an attorney charges very high rates, is not a guarantee that they have great experience, or that your case will go perfectly.  I am rather consistently  contacted by client's who tell me about the attorney's they used that charged them thousands of dollars, for results that the client could have easily achieved without an attorney at all.

Your lawyer should have good experience in the areas that you are using him in, they should charge reasonably based on those experiences, and choosing the cheapest attorney very well may cost you in the long run.

If you have a question about choosing an attorney, or you would like to speak with me, about my experience in certain kinds of cases, feel free to email me at, justinwright@jwrightlaw.com, or visit www.jwrightlaw.com, for more information about the services we provide.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog entry.  I hope to see you here again.