How to Select an Attorney - Tip #3
In hiring a lawyer, perhaps the most important skill you’re looking for is the ability to persuade. So as you're interviewing the lawyer, ask yourself: If I were sitting on a jury right now, listening to this lawyer, would I be sold on what he’s saying?
Listen carefully to the lawyer: Does the lawyer make things easy to understand, or does she talk over your head using legal-ease? If you don’t understand what she’s saying, don’t blame yourself for not being well-versed in the law. It’s the trial lawyer’s job to communicate well; to make the complex simple; and to make things crystal clear for a jury.
And if you find your mind drifting as the lawyer speaks, again, don’t beat yourself up for being inattentive. Sure, you might be tired or distracted, but don’t overlook the fact that the lawyer has failed to grab your attention. Good communicators are easy to listen to. You want to hear what they say. It’s up to the lawyer to make sure you listen.
After listening to the lawyer, listen to your gut. Is there anything about the lawyer that makes you uncomfortable or uncertain? Does the lawyer come off too smooth? Too slick? Too boastful? Is the lawyer engaging without being too salesy? Is the lawyer passionate without being over the top? Do you instinctively trust and believe what the lawyer says, or is there a question mark floating above your head?
Remember, the lawyer you’re speaking to is pleading a case – on why he should be your lawyer. If he can’t make a compelling case here in his own office, what makes you think he will make a compelling case in the court room?
