Monday, May 07, 2007 12:57 PM
Hiring a lawyer?
What should I look for in a lawyer?
Before you start panicking about this process, keep in mind that real estate transactions happen all the time -- if this person answers the following questions competently and has good references, you should be fine. Unlike your realtor, you will only need him or her for behind the scenes paperwork and the closing.
Whether you are using your best friend, your neighborhood advisor, or a lawyer from the internet, there are a number of questions you will want to prepare for your first meeting. Basically, don?t be intimidated. He or she is the one who is on the spot and wants to win you over -- not the other way around. After your first meeting, ask yourself these questions to get a sense of his or her personality: Is she patient? Does she listen to you (and not cut you off)? Does she seem to understand your goals and issues, or is she only hearing herself? Are you comfortable disclosing personal information to her?
If he or she passes these personality questions, here are the key questions to ask the lawyer to assess his or her competency level:
? How many cases like yours has she worked on? If real estate is the person's specialty, you will likely hear tons.
? How will you be charged? If it's hourly, you will want to ask if this includes every phone call (even ones under 15 minutes), and get a ballpark figure of what other cases like yours have cost.
? How long should this take? This will also help you gauge the total fee you're looking at.
? What will you need from me? Get a sense of the time commitment on your part as well.