Attorney Client Interview Checklist

November 16, 2018

1. Make sure you are looking at a lawyer who specializes in the area of law you need help with.

2. Then ensure that your lawyer is from the general area where you are going to Court. This is important because you want a lawyer familiar with both the subject matter and the local court systems.

3. Check out your lawyer’s California State Bar profile at www.calbar.org. From this, you can determine whether or not your Attorney has had any disciplinary actions. If your Attorney does have disciplinary actions pending, you may want to either chose another Attorney or ask the Attorney what the disciplinary actions are regarding.

4. Review your Attorney’s Social Media reviews and ask around in the community for folks who had a feeling one way or another from the Attorney. Oftentimes word of mouth is a great way of finding out who treats their clients well.

5. Find out what your Attorney’s typical costs are, and any projected costs in the future.

6. Ask how fast your Attorney gets back to clients, and what form of communication the Attorney works best with.

7. Meet with the lawyer and see if they are a fit for your particular personality. You need to feel comfortable with the lawyer, and to feel like you can effectively tell this person what you want and why you want it.

8. Make sure you have a list of questions to ask your attorney before your initial meeting so that you don’t forget them.

9. Ask the lawyer about how they handle client refunds. This is important because some lawyers might get upset or muddled in their answer to this question. If your lawyer can’t answer this question clearly, you need a new lawyer!

10. Lastly, make sure you know how long the litigation/legal actions will take and what sorts of assistance your lawyer will need to accomplish your goals. If you do this, you will have a much better set of expectations for the process, and your lawyer will also know yours.

Good Luck!