Attorney Search
You never know when you might need a good attorney – and I realize that the word “good” is quite relative. Ponzi realizes we’re going to need to find a tax attorney soon enough, and that prompted me to ask my network if they had any suggestions as to how we might go about finding one.
The first time I found an attorney for Lockergnome, I just picked up the phone book and dialed the first name that caught my eye. That was ten years ago, when the Internet hadn’t quite matured to the level where it is today.
Each year the United States Lawyer Rankings puts out a list of the Nation’s Top 10 Lawyers in each of several different practice areas.
Although most of the lawyers on the U.S. Lawyer Rankings Top 10 lists are from large firms (and therefore very expensive) there are a few who are with small firms (usually lawyers at large firms who left to start their own firms) and if you can find one practicing the type of law you need then you get the best of both worlds, a top lawyer at small firm rates.
You should ask your friends for references and then meet with the attorney to interview. If there is a match of chemistry and you are satisfied with the knowledge, then hire the attorney.
I had back problems and discovered that your question can easily be modified to include chiropractors. How do you find a good one?
With an MD, if you don’t like the person, you move on and find another. With a chiropractor or lawyer, by the time you realize there is a problem the damage may well have been done.
I found my chiropractor by asking friends, found that several of them, not connected, recommended the same guy.
As to lawyers, same thing. Ask around. Once you have one for something, you now have another tool for future reference – you can ask your lawyer to refer you to other lawyers. (I needed a civil attorney for something and got great recommendations from criminal lawyers that I worked with on other matters).
Chris, blogs are frankly an excellent way to finding by taking a little time. All the other things mentioned here are directories which really give you little more than yellow pages with a little website puffery.
Your state bar association probably has a lawyer referral service. Your county bar may have one. There are several commercial services out there: lawyers.com, findlaw.com, legalmatch.com, but be aware that lawyers pay to be members of those websites.
Your absolutely best way to find a good lawyer: ask someone — a friend, a business colleague — whom you know and trust for a referral. Your next best way: contact the Better Business Bureau or your state’s bar association. Your third best way: contact the local chamber of commerce or your county’s bar association. The Yellow Pages (although we all use them, so most lawyers do advertise in them) should be your last-ditch effort.
Find a local university with a reputable law school. Often, these law schools also have legal clinics available to the public, and they can recommend the best of their alumni who happen to be practicing locally. Outside of “word of mouth” this is probably the next best thing.
I would suggest nolo.com for a cheap/good lawyer, findlaw.com as a sort of generic source (lot of good people in there), but my experience has been – ask people. Ask for a specific lawyer from people you know in your field or who would be dealing with similar industries, problems, contracts, etc that you’re looking to solve by hiring the lawyer.
Here are the links for King County Bar Assc. and the Washington State Bar Assc. Either can give you a referral for an attorney to meet your needs. You can also find out if any complaints have been filed against specific attorneys.
Talk to people you know as well. Shopping for an attorney is far too important to leave it up to a search of the phone.
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8 Comments
Ohio mesothelioma attorney | Attorney | Need Tip
October 15th, 2007
at 7:37pm
or CPA must address all issues required … … … we’re going to need to find a tax attorney soon enough, and that prompted me to … Finding a Tax Attorney. Searching for Search. Barbara Manning of ……Specializing in solutions to tax problems. … IRS – Tax Attorney Help. Offer in Compromise. IRS Levy. IRS Wage Levy Release Guarantee … Tax Attorney Biography. Collection Standards – IRS. IRS Manual
The Chris Pirillo Show
November 9th, 2009
at 11:09pm
[IMG] Chris Pirillo Video Game Guide Cheats and Tips Attorney Search Power Cable Adapter Choices FIFA World Cup Spam Let?s All Go to the Movies Student Loan Debt: Why? eBay Auctions for Business Under the Radar Tech Conference Why Isn?t Marijuana Legal? I Purchased an Optimus Maximus keyboard
John’s musing
November 9th, 2009
at 11:09pm
Attorney Search ~ Chris Pirillo
SocioBiblog
June 8th, 2007
at 4:40am
For a Tax Attorney, Sean Neill wrote: Depends on what the attorney’s role is – planning or litigation? If litigation, ask for references from local accountants… Related Content:Find an AttorneyFinding a Tax AttorneyAttorney SearchDavid Steele on Domain Names and Intellectual PropertyBest Buy Law BotchThe Blogger’s Dictionary (Volume I)Being Steve JobsMedical MalpracticeWhat’s up with all these Shootings!?links for 2007-02-05
hottoddy
June 4th, 2007
at 12:42pm
Here’s a site that links to all state bar associations. From here, you can find out “is he/she really an attorney?” Also, many state/county bar associations have referral programs for specific practice areas and disciplinary records.
http://www.ishereallyalawyer.com/
-hottoddy (an attorney).
Timothy Johnson
June 4th, 2007
at 2:05pm
Thanks for the shout-out, Chris. Glad to be of service to a former Iowan.
Michael H Baum
June 6th, 2007
at 5:48pm
Ok I have read all of the previous answers and while some are pretty good, for the most part they are “generic” answers. I write this as someone who has been doing tax work for over 20 years and currently work with a CPA firm. My little joke when asked if I am a CPA is “No, I’m just a pain in the ass, I’m not certified.”
First thing you should do is prepare your own story board of what you are looking for and/or needing related to tax issues. Isolate what you think are the key words/phrases. Next step is to do your own research. I have found the best way is to take one of those keys and use Google [make sure to put in the quote marks] and search site:www.irs.gov
Depending on your search, you may or may not get good results. Just like any search it sometimes takes a few efforts. Reason I do this type of search is you are getting it directly from the horses mouth. Once you get some documents, I often use some type of mind manager to cut through all of the bureaucratic garbage.
Next step is to get a copy of Circular 230 at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/pcir230.pdf. These are the regulations that govern attorneys, cpas, enrolled agents and all others that practice before the IRS. Very important to get a handle on this 60 page document. It will tell you exactly what anyone can do or not do. [by the way IRS does keep a record of anyone that has been suspended or prosecuted. Check out http://www.tigta.gov This is the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.]
Finally, I would recommend that you do talk with other non-attorney practitioners that you trust and get a feel for what they really think. I would definitely look for an attorney who is also a CPA or has a documented record of tax practice including preparation. There is an organization of attorney-cpas. Check out their web site at http://www.attorney-cpa.com. I would also make sure that anyone you select be authorized to practice before the Tax Court. This is sorta like the equivalent of an attorney being authorized to practice before the Supreme Court.
Feel free to let me know if I can provide any other assistance.
Rick Jones
July 11th, 2008
at 6:06am
A growing number of people are “working poor”. That means they work full time but live in relative poverty because of low pay and high costs of living. If someone like this is victimized by an IRS wage levy the effects can be devastating. Unfortunately the IRS won’t go away. Fortunately there is reasonably priced help available. Get your hands on a copy of the DVD by Attorney Darrin Mish, “How to Get a Release From an IRS Wage Levy.”