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Helpful Information About Lawyers That Anyone Can Use

Lawyers are often the subject of a great many jokes, and none of them are very kind to the profession. However, sometimes you just need one to help you with legal matters in life. Know how to find a good one and use them to your benefit with the advice in the following paragraphs.

Before you hire a lawyer, sit down and define the problem that you have. Sometimes, you may find that your situation is not bad enough to warrant a lawyer. Understanding exactly what you are going through can help save you a lot of money over time with a lawyer and court fees.

Imagine taking on a lawyer who is about to enter court for the first time. That's what will happen if you take a general lawyer into a case where a specializing lawyer is a better bet. Ask any lawyer you know for their recommendations, and you'll be pleased with the outcome.

When looking for a good lawyer, make sure to obtain personal references. Talking to the local community that have experienced issues similar to you. For instance, if you're a victim of sexual harassment, speak with a women's group. Ask them about the lawyers they had and what their experiences were like.

If you need to hire a lawyer but don't know where to start, try looking in a lawyer directory such as Nolo. This directory offers a comprehensive profile of all attorneys. The profile provides important information such as his education, experience, fees and the lawyer's basic philosophy of law. This information can be invaluable in selecting a good lawyer.

Speak with the bar association to get the scoop on the lawyer that you choose. If there are just a few, you should not be too concerned, but if there are many, you should worry.

A good tip if you're thinking about hiring a lawyer is to not get swept away with just the costs alone. Deciding on the cheapest lawyer around isn't always the best idea, and it can actually cost you more in the long run because they might not be very experienced.

You should set up a face-to-face meeting with an attorney before you hire them to help you with your case. It is nice to talk to someone that is personable and sociable, but you really need to ask questions if you want to find out whether or not your lawyer knows what they are doing.

You should make sure you have a solid case before attacking someone in court. Keep in mind that some lawyers only have their own interest in mind and will advise you to go to court regardless of how solid your case is. Present your case to different professionals and do some research on your own before you go to court.

If your lawyer has a busy schedule, your case may end up costing more to complete. That's because it will end up dragging on as they tend to all of their other clients. Try to select a lawyer who isn't running around like a chicken with their head cut off!

Set up a good communication system with your lawyer first thing. Lawyers are busy people, and your case may be one of many. If you haven't established an expectation for communication, then you may be forgotten. So set it up during the first meeting. Make sure your expectation is clear.

If you need a good lawyer for your business, use your network. You could ask your banker, partners, insurance agent or even your distributors if they know any good lawyers in the area. Do not hesitate to refer this lawyer to people you know if you have a good experience.

After getting a recommendation click here for a lawyer, try setting up a brief meeting with them. Once you act on a recommendation, you will need to meet your potential lawyer face-to-face. Many offer free first-time consultations, so this is the perfect opportunity to interview them. You should ask them tough questions, have them describe past cases they've worked on, and see a list of previous clients.

In many ways, hiring a lawyer is no different than hiring any other sort of professional. You just need to take the time to look around and find the person who best suits your requirements. Keep the advice from this article in mind the next time that you need a lawyer.

Auto insurers play hardball in minor-crash claims

Profitable strategy

The cases, CNN found, illustrate a carefully developed strategy to make the victims look like they are trying to defraud the insurers.

But documents CNN obtained indicate profit, not fraud, is the reason companies decided to play hardball in small accidents.

For Allstate and State Farm, according to documents obtained by CNN, the strategy was developed in the mid-1990s with the assistance of consulting giant McKinsey & Co.

Looking for a way to boost profits, McKinsey focused on soft-tissue injuries incurred in minor crashes.

While the McKinsey documents -- numbered in the thousands -- are under seal in courts around the country, CNN saw several of them during a court hearing in Lexington, Kentucky.

Playing off Allstate's signature slogan, one document recommends the insurer put boxing gloves on its "good hands" for those who insist on going to court.

The strategy, according to former Allstate and State Farm employee Jim Mathis, relies on the three D's -- denying a claim, delaying settlement of the claim and defending against the claim in court.

"The profits are good, and as long as the community, the public allows this to occur, the insurance companies will get richer and people ... will not get a fair and reasonable settlement," Mathis said.

Both Allstate and State Farm declined requests for interviews.

In an e-mail, Allstate wrote it did not believe it would "have any real opportunity of being successful in getting you (CNN) to do a balanced report."

State Farm wrote: "We take customer service seriously and seek to pay what we owe, promptly, courteously and efficiently, and we handle each claim on its own merits."

The company also said, "Any attempt to generalize that State Farm adopted consultant recommendations as other insurers is just plain wrong."

A company spokesman sent an additional e-mail, saying that the company did work with McKinsey to improve claims handling but State Farm stopped using the McKinsey program in 1999.

Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, told CNN insurers do not have a strategy of blanket denial of claims. He also said strategies to limit expenditures on minor-impact crashes are needed to fight fraud.

Hartwig specifically singled out lawyers who he claims make a living on car accident victims, saying those lawyers are upset because "the gravy train is over."