To narrow your options and choose the best lemon law attorney for your case, you’ll need to focus on certain criteria. Once you gather a list of possible attorneys, schedule consultation appointments with the most promising ones. During the consultations, ask the potential attorneys questions based on the factors that meet your preferences as well as the requirements of the law. Factors like compensation, awards and recognition, and track record are somewhat flexible because they depend on your comfort level with the attorney. Other factors are necessary, such as the lawyer’s experience with your area’s lemon law and license to practice law in your area.
Begin your search for the best lemon law attorney in much the same way you would search for any other professional. Look at local advertisements as well as listings in local directories. Ask for recommendations from any family members, friends, neighbors, or co-workers you know who have been involved in lemon law cases. You might even ask any lawyers you know or you’ve hired before if they have experience with lemon law cases or if they can recommend colleagues who have.
Before you hire a lemon law attorney, it’s important to understand what you face financially. Find out how the lemon law lawyer obtains his compensation. Some lawyers require upfront payment, while others don’t require compensation unless they win the case. In addition to the lawyer’s compensation, ask about any other kind of compensation for which you’ll be responsible. For example, if the lawyer or the lemon law firm consults or employs an expert witness, such as a trained mechanic, you might be responsible for his compensation, too.
The lemon law attorney must meet certain criteria before you can consider him. Once you make sure the lawyer is licensed to practice law in your area, ask about his experience with lemon law cases. More specifically, ask about his experience with lemon law cases in your area explicitly. These kinds of laws aren’t the same across the board. For example, each state in America has its own lemon law, and the details of each lemon law vary depending on the state.
You should also find out if the lawyer has experience with the details of your case. For instance, most areas with lemon laws focus on new cars. This means chances are good that the lemon law lawyer you’re considering has experience as a new car lemon law attorney. On the other hand, not all areas recognize used cars within their lemon laws. If your car is used, you might have to spend some additional time looking for a lawyer with experience as a used car lemon law attorney.
There are additional details you can research, or simply ask the lawyer about, before you hire a lemon law attorney. Find out if the attorney has received any special recognition for his work with lemon law cases. Ask about the number of lemon law cases he’s won, as well as the nature of those cases. Also find out how long it’s been since he won his last lemon law case. The answers to these kinds of questions can help you feel confident in your choice, or make you realize you need to keep looking.