3 Things You Should Know About Meeting With An Attorney For The First Time

If you have never met with an attorney before you might be wondering what to expect. There are many different reasons to hire an attorney. It could be for preventative care like estate planning, forming businesses, or buying real estate, or it could be for damage control such as a divorce, personal injury lawsuit and so forth. Here are some things you should know about meeting with a lawyer.

1. A Lawyer Cannot Guarantee Any Outcome

One of the first things you should know is that an attorney cannot guarantee any kind of outcome. You may come to them for an estate plan, and the attorney will make you a great estate plan that will mostly likely keep your family out of court when you pass away. However, that doesn't mean it is guaranteed. They cannot predict everything that will happen and they especially can't predict what the judge will do if your case goes to litigation. This is why you have to be aware that the attorney will do their best to handle your case in the best way they know how, but if it doesn't go exactly how you want it to, you cannot blame that attorney. It is just as much out of their hands as it is yours.

2. You May Have To Pay Upfront

Another thing many people don't realize is that you may have to pay a retainer upfront for legal services. This means that before the attorney will do any work for you, they will ask for money to go into a special account that they will draw on as they do work on your case. Thus, you should expect to give them a good deal of money before they start working on your case. And then you may even have to give them more if the case goes longer or is more complicated than you expected.

3. The Attorney Will Not Automatically Take Your Case

Lastly, the attorney will have a consultation with you where they decide if your case is worth taking. You will give them the details and if the attorney feels that they are equipped to handle your problem, they will take it. If they don't feel like you have a good enough case, or that they don't have the expertise to deal with the issue, they will refer you to someone else.

By understanding these things you will know what to expect from hiring an attorney. To learn more, contact a company like Todaro David M Co LPA.