How should I choose a lawyer for my Divorce or Criminal Defense case in Ohio?

I have recently been considering this issue, as client's approach me in regards to their cases.  Sometimes I am a client's first choice, and sometimes I am someone they come to when they are unsatisified with their current lawyer's communication style, or the results that are being produced.

Here is my advice when you are hiring a lawyer for a Divorce or a Criminal Defense Matter.  The First step, is research, look any prospective attorney up, on the web, and between their peers.  What I mean to say here, is go look that attorney up online, and find everything there is to know, and then ask some other attorneys around, what they think of this attorney.  Next, call them up, find out basic information, including their fee structure.  Next, you need to talk them face to face, NEVER hire a lawyer without looking into their eyes.  If you don't have a good feeling at that meeting, get out.  If you don't trust your atorney at the first meeting, you never will.

Ask your prospective lawyer, what they think will happen in this case, if they tell you the best case scenario, or guarantee a scenario, you need to leave right away.  I tell my client's, every one of them, that I cannot guarantee an outcome, and any ethical attorney will tell you the same thing.  If, you find someone willing to promise the world to you, you should be very wary.

Ask questions, a lot of them.  If your prospective attorney is short or impatient with you, or those questions, that is another good indicator, this individual is not right for you.   

I also am brutally honest with my client's, I would rather tell my client's what they need to hear, than what they want to hear sometimes.  If my client's expect the best case, and then are disappointed, I have done them a great disservice.  If, however, I have prepared them for the worst, and a better situation arises, that situation is much easier to address, than the converse of that. 

In Short, hiring an attorney in a Divorce or Crminial Defense matter is on par with one of the most important decisions in your life, as it will have such a monumental impact on your life.   It is something that should not be entered into lightly, you shoudl consult all available information, and you should talk to several people, before making a final decision.  Lastly,trust your instincts, they have served you well proir to this point, and they will be critical in this decision as well.

I wish anyone making this decision, good luck, and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free and call my office at (614) 230-5333, to schedule a no cost consultation.