I have heard all the jokes about lawyers and I know the joke that says that the only good lawyer is a dead lawyer!

Seriously though, how do you choose a good Solicitor?

â–* Do your research
Understand the difference between a Solicitor who is professionally qualified and is a member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and say a legal consultant, a lawyer and a legal adviser who are not qualified. Ask the person you see “are you a qualified practicing Solicitor� if they say no, then they are not legally qualified. They will not say they are a Solicitor if they are not one – to say that is a criminal offence. I will write more about the differences between Solicitors and other types of “lawyer� in another article soon.

â–* Look at the firm itself
Look at the firm's website. How many lawyers do they have? A big firm means you have back-up available; a small firm means you'll probably get the personal touch. The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the firm, the bigger the fees will be, but that is not always the case. Their website may say that they are specialists in for example family law and conveyancing. If you are instructing them on a personal injury matter they may not be the best firm to tackle your case for you. BEWARE – a qualified Solicitor can legally say he is an expert in any area of law he wants, so ask him or her how many cases they have dealt with in the past dealing with your particular issues. Don’t bother asking how many cases they have won though, trust me, that won’t get you any further forward.

â–* Be specific on costs
Ask how much they charge for the Solicitor who will handle your case. Just like the Forces have ranks, so do the legal profession. A buck private (junior Solicitor) will be a lot cheaper than a Colonel (a Partner level Solicitor). Make sure that you get the right level of Solicitor, you don’t want a junior Solicitor dealing with a complex case, but neither do you want a Partner dealing with a simple case. You may wish to save costs, but don’t forget - experience counts, and “you get what you pay for"....most of the time!

â–* Ask for a short free meeting
I you don’t ask – you don’t get. So be up front and ask if they do free first meetings. If they don’t do a full free first meeting, then ask if they will do the first meeting at a discounted rate. If you push hard enough, they will often agree. If they don’t, you could always go to another firm and try your luck there.

â–* Pick a lawyer who sees the bigger picture
You need someone who is emotionally level; an aggressive Solicitor who says he can “kick ass� may sound good in the office but they could cost you money. Being too soft as a lawyer is never a good sign as you may not be able to get your point across but a Solicitor who is too aggressive may not listen to reason and not settle cases when they should be settled.

â–* Finally, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it
If the Solicitor you have spoken to does not “feel right� or he does not seem to be giving you full advice or keeping you informed as to what the heck is going on – then don’t use him. If you are already with a Solicitor and they are doing this, then change your Solicitor! You can change your Solicitor at any stage of your case; it's not a huge problem. Your new Solicitor can organise the transfer so you don't even have to tell the ex-solicitor yourself if you don't want to. Remember, that as a paying client, “the client is king�.

Originally Posted by JudgeDredd

I have heard all the jokes about lawyers and I know the joke that says that the only good lawyer is a dead lawyer!

Seriously though, how do you choose a good Solicitor?

Seriously though, they are all money grabbing ambulance chasing scum who actually do deserve slow and painful deaths...............

What about Barrack Room Lawyers like yourself?

Yellow pages, phone calls, identify their speciality then bomb round a number of them on free 30 minute sessions, once you have seen your options pick one

I usually check their headstones...

It's a bit late by then but you knew they were good. Any deed yin who admits to being a Solicitor on their headstone (minus graffitti - it's not always in italian you know) must've been good or worked on behalf of crims.

You pays yer money.... You takes yer chance...

I have murderers, counter-feeters (sold Nike trainer copies), swindlers etc in my family and all have been serving time since I was a Nipper.

Uncle Bert who was a Solicitor and outwitted Pierrepoint is never mentioned.....

Originally Posted by Biscuits_AB

What about Barrack Room Lawyers like yourself?

Like most barrack room lawyers my services are Pro bono dear chap, unlike the majority of the learned money grabbing bandits who use the law to make a profit..................

If you're looking for a criminal lawyer to defend you ask a copper which solicitor gets the most up their nose. He'll be the one that'll get you off.

I didnt want to appear as though I was looking for business as I am genuinely trying to help you guys.

I am a qualified Solicitor and have been practicing as a qualifed Solicitor for 12 or so years.

I am also ex 289 Commando Battery R.A. (v).

So barrack room I ain't

Sorry, you will have to whinge elsewhere.

Originally Posted by TheBigUn

Originally Posted by JudgeDredd

I have heard all the jokes about lawyers and I know the joke that says that the only good lawyer is a dead lawyer!

Seriously though, how do you choose a good Solicitor?

Seriously though, they are all money grabbing ambulance chasing scum who actually do deserve slow and painful deaths...............

For the record I dont undertake personal injury work, and I hope to high heaven that you never get injured either in a civilian or miliatry context, because it will be a Solicitor not unlike me that will take on the authorities to try and get you a fair compensation.

Who do you think forces the law to be changed to provide better services and facilities for you guys who do a tremendous job.

Originally Posted by JudgeDredd

I didnt want to appear as though I was looking for business as I am genuinely trying to help you guys.

I am a qualified Solicitor and have been practicing as a qualifed Solicitor for 12 or so years.

I am also ex 289 Commando Battery R.A. (v).

So barrack room I ain't

Sorry, you will have to whinge elsewhere.

Then why on earth did you not start with

"I am an ex Commando Gunner who has been a qualified solicitor for 12 years. I know that from time-to-time some of you may need the services of a solicitor for a number of reasons from making a will, divorce, house purchase or some of you may be in trouble.
I thought it might be a good idea to write a few short articles about the various types of legal workers from paralegals through solicitors to barristers and Queen's Counsel and even on to the judiciary." or some such thing?

My invoice is in the post