How to find a lawyer

Finding the right lawyer for your situation is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make in any legal matter. The right lawyer can change the outcome of your case. The wrong lawyer can waste your money, lose your case, or both.

This lesson walks through the practical steps to find a lawyer who fits your specific needs.

Step 1: figure out what kind of lawyer you need

Lawyers specialize. A great real estate lawyer might know nothing about employment discrimination. A skilled criminal defense attorney might be the wrong choice for your divorce.

Common practice areas:

Criminal defense: for being charged with a crime
Personal injury: for being injured by someone else's negligence
Family law: for divorce, custody, support, adoption
Estate planning / probate: for wills, trusts, estates
Real estate: for property purchases, leases, disputes
Employment: for workplace issues (often plaintiff-side or defendant-side)
Immigration: for visas, citizenship, deportation defense
Bankruptcy: for debt relief and creditor issues
Business / corporate: for company formation, contracts, transactions
Tax: for IRS or state tax issues
Civil litigation: for lawsuits between private parties (catch-all)
Civil rights: for constitutional or discrimination claims against government
Intellectual property: for patents, trademarks, copyrights

Knowing the right specialty narrows your search dramatically.

Step 2: assess what you can afford

Different fee structures fit different budgets:

Hourly fees: typically $200-$1,000+/hour. For ongoing complex matters.
Contingency fees: usually 33-40% of recovery. For plaintiff-side personal injury, employment discrimination, certain consumer cases.
Flat fees: single fixed price. For routine work like wills, uncontested divorces, real estate closings.
Limited-scope: pay for specific tasks (drafting, hearing prep, document review). Cheaper than full representation.
Pro bono: free representation through volunteer lawyers and nonprofit organizations.
Legal aid: free representation for income-eligible clients in qualifying civil cases.

If you can't afford hourly representation but your case isn't a typical contingency case, limited-scope is often the most practical option.

Step 3: find candidates

Several places to look:

Bar association referral services

Most state and county bar associations operate referral services. They:

Match you with a lawyer who handles your kind of case
Often offer reduced-fee initial consultations ($25-$75)
Screen lawyers for malpractice insurance and good standing

Find them by searching "[your state] bar association lawyer referral" or visiting your state bar's website.

Legal aid organizations

If you can't afford a lawyer:

For civil cases: search "legal aid [your city/state]" or call 211
For criminal cases: request a public defender at your first court appearance
For specific issues: there are specialized nonprofits for housing (HUD-approved counseling), immigration (immigrant rights organizations), employment (worker centers), domestic violence (DV legal services), etc.

Eligibility usually requires income at or below 125-200% of the federal poverty level.

Specialty directories

Online directories list lawyers by specialty:

Avvo: free, includes ratings and reviews
Martindale-Hubbell: long-established directory with peer ratings
Best Lawyers: peer-reviewed lists
Super Lawyers: selection-based recognition
Justia: directory with lawyer profiles

Use these as a starting point, not the final answer. Ratings can be gamed and "Best Lawyers" lists are influenced by marketing.

Word of mouth

Ask people you trust:

Friends or family who've been through similar situations
Other professionals (your doctor, your accountant) who interact with lawyers
Trusted lawyers in different specialties (a good real estate lawyer often knows a good family lawyer)

Word of mouth is often the best way to find a lawyer, especially for matters with emotional weight (family law, criminal defense, civil rights).

Web search

Direct search ("[your city] employment discrimination lawyer") will surface options. Look at:

The lawyer's website (does it look professional? do they specialize in what you need?)
Their case results (verifiable specifics, not just generic claims)
Reviews on Google, Avvo, Yelp
Their LinkedIn profile (real career history?)

Avoid lawyers who:

Promise specific outcomes ("I guarantee we'll win")
Pressure you to sign up immediately
Won't give straight answers about fees
Have multiple disciplinary complaints (check your state bar's website)

Court self-help centers

For procedural matters, court self-help centers can refer you to lawyers in your area who handle related cases.

Step 4: do initial consultations

Most lawyers offer initial consultations: sometimes free, sometimes at a reduced rate. Use them.

What to bring

All documents related to your case (contracts, court papers, correspondence, etc.)
A timeline of what happened
A list of questions
Notes on your goals

What to ask

How many cases like mine have you handled?
What's a realistic best-case outcome for me? Worst case?
How do you charge? Hourly, contingency, flat, hybrid?
What costs am I likely to incur?
How long will my case take?
Will you personally handle my case, or will associates?
How do you communicate? Phone, email, portal? How often?
What's your success rate on cases like mine?
Do you have malpractice insurance?
Are there alternatives to litigation I should consider?
What happens if you can't continue representing me?

What to evaluate

Did they listen to your situation, or just push their services?
Did they give you an honest assessment, including weaknesses in your case?
Do they explain things in language you can understand?
Do you trust them?
Do they seem to have time for your case?
Are they reachable?

The lawyer with the best credentials isn't always the best fit for your case. The lawyer who really understands your situation and gives honest advice often is.

Step 5: make the engagement formal

Once you've decided on a lawyer:

Sign an engagement letter spelling out:
The scope of representation
The fee structure (hourly rate, contingency percentage, flat fee)
Costs (filing fees, expert witnesses, etc.): who pays
Billing frequency
How disputes about fees will be resolved
Termination rights
Discuss communication expectations: how often will you hear from them, through what channels
Address conflicts of interest: they should have done a conflicts check before agreeing to take you on

Don't sign anything that's vague. If the engagement letter doesn't make sense, ask questions until it does.

Red flags to watch for

Some lawyers are bad fits for any case. Warning signs:

Promises a specific outcome
Won't put fees in writing
Has unexplained gaps in their licensure or career history
Has serious disciplinary history (a single old complaint is usually fine; multiple recent ones are not)
Seems disorganized in your initial meeting
Pressures you to decide on the spot
Talks more than they listen
Doesn't return calls promptly even before you've signed up
Charges much higher rates than peers without justification

What if you can't find anyone?

If you're striking out:

Call the local bar association. Even if you don't fit their referral service, they might know who handles your kind of case.
Try the next-larger city. Sometimes specialty lawyers are concentrated in nearby metropolitan areas.
Reach out to law schools. Many have clinics that handle specific kinds of cases.
Try a national specialty organization. For some matters (e.g., trademark cases, ERISA), specialty bar groups can refer.
Consider going pro se with limited-scope help. Even part-time help is better than no help.
Try mediation or alternative dispute resolution. Some disputes can be resolved without a full lawsuit (and without a full lawyer).

Working with your lawyer

Once you've hired someone:

Be honest about everything. Including the bad facts. Attorney-client [privilege](/insights/glossary/privilege) protects what you say. Lawyers can't help with information they don't have.
Respond promptly to requests. Lawyers work on deadlines; delays from clients can hurt the case.
Keep copies. You should have copies of everything filed in your case.
Follow their advice on critical issues. You hired them for their expertise. Disagreements happen, but reflexively second-guessing your lawyer makes representation hard.
Ask questions when you don't understand. A confused client makes worse decisions than an informed one.
Pay your bills. Withholding payment over disputes you haven't raised damages the relationship.

When to switch lawyers

Sometimes the relationship doesn't work. Reasons to switch:

Lack of communication (calls and emails not returned)
Missed deadlines
Big disagreements about strategy that can't be worked out
The lawyer doesn't seem competent on your kind of case
Loss of trust

Switching mid-case has costs: the new lawyer has to come up to speed, and the old lawyer may not refund unused retainer easily. But if the relationship is broken, switching is often the right call.

A note on cost

Legal services are expensive. There's no way around it for complex matters. But the cost of not having a lawyer in serious matters is often much higher: lost lawsuits, unfavorable settlements, missed defenses, procedural disasters.

Spend within your means. But don't skip the lawyer entirely if the stakes are real. Even partial help: limited scope, brief consultation, free initial review: is far better than going alone in over your head.

This lesson is research and educational information, not legal advice. The right way to find a lawyer depends on your situation, location, and resources.