How to Find a Good Utah Attorney

There are more than 7,300 attorneys actively practicing law in the state of Utah. Attorney ads hang from billboards and cover the front pages of newspapers and telephone books. With so many choices, it can be difficult to sift through the information to find a good Utah attorney. Any attorney can pay to place an ad. Before hiring an attorney, it is important to seek reliable advice about who can best serve your needs.

Tips For Finding a Good Utah Attorney

The best way to find a good Utah attorney is through a referral, and the most reliable referrals come from other Utah attorneys. Attorneys generally specialize in one or a few areas of law. Not every attorney can assist you in your divorce or criminal case. However, every attorney should be able to direct you to colleagues who can assist you with your needs. Attorneys socialize with each other regularly, at Utah State Bar events, continuing legal education courses, legislative sessions and fundraisers. Most attorneys develop large networks of legal professionals who specialize in a variety of practice areas. Attorneys are familiar with their colleagues’ reputations among the legal community and will refer you to an attorney they trust to competently handle your legal issues.

Another good referral source is your family, friends and co-workers who have experienced similar legal issues. More than 30 percent of Americans have been arrested at least once by the time they turn 23. An estimated 41 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce. The people you work and socialize with have likely experienced criminal or family law issues. Even if they did not have a good experience with their own attorney, they may have observed effective Utah attorneys while waiting for their cases to be heard by the judge or commissioner.

Court employees may also be able to provide you with a referral to a good Utah attorney. Court clerks and bailiffs serve judges both inside and outside of the courtroom. Court employees interact with and observe attorneys on a daily basis. They are familiar with the attorneys who are respected by the judges and clerks and who consistently obtain favorable results for their clients.

The Internet is second-best to referrals when you are seeking a good Utah attorney. However, the Internet still requires you to sift through bad advertisements and information to find what you are looking for. When searching the Internet for legal help, look beyond the paid ads. Generally the first four or five search results on Google or Bing are going to be paid ads. It is okay to visit websites that pay for ad placement, but you should carefully examine the content of the websites you visit. You should easily be able to determine from a website where the law office is located, whether you are dealing with a solo practitioner or law firm and how long the law office has been in existence. Read the blogs, articles and other information provided on the website to ensure that the lawyers represented by the website are knowledgeable and articulate.

If you are using the Internet to locate a good Utah attorney, you should also make use of the numerous lawyer directories that are available online. Lawyer directories, such as those provided by findlaw.com, avvo.com and cornell.edu, provide information about an attorney’s practice areas, location and years of experience, as well as reviews written by clients and other attorneys.

Stacey Schmidt is the lead counsel of the divorce and family law team of Schmidt Law. Schmidt Law Firm is well respected among lawyers in the state of Utah. Our experienced attorneys and legal professionals have developed positive relationships with both the legal community and with outside experts, such as custody evaluators, child psychologists and financial experts. The experienced legal team at Schmidt Law Firm has the legal knowledge, skill and resources to obtain favorable results in your criminal or divorce case. For more information, please visit http://sschmidtlaw.wpengine.com/