Legal issues can be major or minor, but are always a hassle in some way. Time spent negotiating, haggling, emailing and arguing can lead to mistakes, which cost potential money or even your entire case. Hiring a skilled lawyer is often the difference between winning and losing a case, but how do you choose the right one?
Cost and availability of a lawyer are both important factors in choosing one for your situation. Neither one is quite as important as finding a skilled lawyer to help deal with your specific legal issue, however. Lawyers specialize in different types of law. While all have degrees, only the ones skilled in your particular situation are able to help win your case. Read ahead to learn about different kinds of lawyers and how to find a skilled lawyer to win your case.
Reasons to Hire a Skilled Lawyer for Your Legal Issues
Skilled lawyers are capable of assessing your case and deciding if it is worth being tried, and if they can win it. Attending court requires specific behavior and speech, and skilled lawyers guide your approach to court appearances. There is also a large amount of paperwork to be filed, submitted and processed during legal cases. Your lawyer keeps you apprised of all these elements in addition to what to expect as your case plays out. Finally, representing yourself in court is more likely to fail than succeed. Hiring a skilled lawyer helps you navigate your legal path and ensures your victory.
Resources to Help Locate a Skilled Lawyer Near You
Resources to help locate a skilled lawyer near you are simple to use. Finding lawyers with reputable, successful records is possible online. There are also common search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or Yelp, that lead you to skilled lawyers when entering your case type and zip code. More specific online resources for locating skilled lawyers near you include: FindLaw, Attorneys.com, LawInfo and LegalMatch.
Pro Bono Lawyers for Free
The term Pro Bono refers to work done without charge. Why would a skilled lawyer work for free? In certain criminal cases, especially where incarceration is a possible result, defendants have a constitutional right to legal representation. The government-founded Legal Aid program provides financial aid for some cases, although some out-of-pocket fees might still be charged.
Common Types of Skilled Lawyers
There are seemingly endless types of practiced law. Lawyers must all earn degrees and pass bar examinations to begin working for clients. Beyond that, specific skills lawyers vary based on the type of law in which he or she specializes. Common types of skilled lawyers include:
- Employment
- Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Car Accident
- Criminal Defense
- DUI
- Family
- Child Custody
- Divorce
Employment Lawyers
When employment goes bad or is terminated without just cause, employment lawyers step in to protect the rights and income of their clients. Workers compensation lawyers handle cases where accidents at work resulted in serious injury. Resolution of wages and overtime disputes, discrimination based on race, gender or religion and even sexual harassment are all legal issues handled by employment lawyers.
Malpractice Lawyers
Medical malpractice is a challenging issue to battle in court. Malpractice lawyers take on cases where patients experience damage due to poor conduct or actions by a medical provider. These damages can be financial, emotional/mental or physical in nature. Surgeons sometimes make tragic errors during surgery that cause long-lasting disabilities and hardship for patients. Doctors can also be accused of sexual harassment or abuse of their patients. Malpractice lawyers deal with all those issues.
Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyers
Personal injury and car accident cases are not necessarily the same thing but are also not mutually exclusive. Personal injury lawyers cross-deal with workers compensation cases in addition to assaults, rapes or injuries due to third-party negligence. Examples of negligence include landlords refusing to fix broken stairs or gas lines, being hit by a bicyclist or bitten by a pet/animal owned by another party.
Car accidents often result in serious personal injury. Car accident lawyers deal with personal injury, in addition to further applicable legal problems and consequences. There are insurance claim issues along with financial loss. Medical issues and expenses are part of car accident cases as well. Car accident lawyers help defend clients injured or suffering other damages from accidents caused by another party. They defend you if the accident was your fault.
Criminal Defense Lawyers
Criminal defense lawyers defend clients accused of various crimes. These crimes may be minor or serious in nature, ranging from trespassing, theft, robbery, and assault to murder. The legal protocol in these types of cases is: defendants are innocent until proven guilty. If innocence cannot be proven, criminal defense attorneys then attempt to show guilt is not fully beyond doubt. If a judge or jury does issue a guilty verdict, defense attorneys argue for the most lenient sentence possible.
DUI Lawyers
The job tasked to DUI lawyers is to defend drivers caught operating motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drugs include illegal substances such as heroin or cocaine. They can also be prescription drugs such as muscle relaxers or painkillers. DUI charges are stacked against defendants as a means of deterrence from committing future offenses. These laws are meant to keep the roads safer and free from accidents or death. A DUI lawyer must fight for your rights and try to get the best results possible even if you are guilty. Sometimes the arresting police make mistakes or the testing equipment fails. In those cases a DUI lawyer tries to get your charges dropped.
Family and Child Custody Lawyers
Family lawyers deal with a variety of family-related legal issues. This type of law is often contentious because it involves family members in disagreement with each other to the point they require legal assistance to resolve the differences. Types of cases taken on by family lawyers include:
- Inheritance disputes
- Domestic abuse
- Child support, child custody, guardianship and adoption
- Power of Attorney issues
- Tax and estate resolutions
Child custody involves child support cases where a parent is not paying monthly support as ordered by a court. It also involves custody resolution and proving clients are fit parents. Child custody cases are frequently sad and tense. A child custody lawyer strives to achieve the best results for all parties while keeping all children involved safe from emotional and physical harm
Divorce Lawyers
Divorce lawyers practice civil law. This type of lawyer helps divide marital assets and negotiate alimony and custody arrangements. This is another tense type of case where it is useful to have a skilled lawyer protecting your rights, assets and liquid finances to assure the best, final result.