Guide to Finding Laredo Lawyer

Laredo, Texas is a growing metropolis with over half a million persons living in the city and its surrounding areas. Many of those residents will need to call on a Laredo lawyer for legal assistance at some point in their life, but how do they go about finding the perfect lawyer for their geographic, financial and professional needs?

Types of Laredo Lawyers

Laredo lawyers may be trained to handle a diverse range of cases and legal needs, from business and financial concerns to criminal charges to divorce proceedings. Here are the four main types of Laredo lawyers, and within each group you can find further subdivisions and specializations.

• Criminal lawyers: Laredo residents who are charged with crimes are being accused of harming society at large. Those found guilty of charges can be heavily fined or put in jail. Laredo lawyers who are adept at criminal law may be trial attorneys or may work for the District Attorney’s office, prosecuting accused criminals. Examples of common crimes that Laredo lawyers may be used to trying include criminal driving under the influence, robbery and assault.

• Tort lawyers: Laredo lawyers who specialize in tort law represent citizens involved in civil disputes concerning crimes not against society but private individuals. Since these crimes are considered less serious, the burden of proof is much lower than in a criminal case, so those accused of a civil crime should contact a Laredo lawyer right away to help them avoid heavy fines.

• Family lawyers: Laredo lawyers are considered family lawyers if they try cases affecting the family such as divorce actions, child custody suits, child support suits, and legal adoption.

• Administrative lawyers: Laredo lawyers who deal with government regulatory law are referred to as administrative lawyers. These attorneys deal less with personal complaints than with defending a person’s property from unfair regulations or they petition the government with special requests. Businesses may employ these laredo lawyers when disputing zoning laws, real estate contracts, liquor license repeals, and environmental regulation compliance. For individuals, administrative lawyers who specialize in tax conflicts and immigration law may be of service.

How to find a Laredo Lawyer

Every year, more and more lawyers graduate from law school and enter the workforce. In such a chaotic environment, how do you possibly differentiate between so many attorneys? How do you even know where to look for them? Here are a few basic ways to begin your search:

• Take advantage of the resources at the Laredo/Webb County Bar Association. The Bar’s website contains a directory which sorts different area attorneys by their area of expertise. Since Bar Associations hold there members to strict ethical standards, finding a Laredo lawyer through this site may be a safe bet.

• Contact a legal referral service. Legal referral services direct potential clients to lawyers who are deemed best able to help them with their legal needs. Users call or otherwise communicate with the service, telling a trained representative about the action they’d like to take, their financial abilities and the area in which they live, before being fitted with a pre-screened and service-endorsed lawyer. Though many private ones exist, the State Bar of Texas also runs a referral service where you can find the right Laredo lawyer for you. The initial consultation with the Laredo lawyer found through the service will run approximately 30 minutes and cost no more than $20. Call the Bar Association’s referral service at (800) 252-9690 or (877) 9TEXBAR (Toll Free), Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Discuss your legal concerns with friends, family and coworkers. Many may know capable Laredo lawyers they are excited to recommend. Some may even be past clients!

• Investigate legal directories, both online and in-print. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory is a national catalogue that will be available in any library.

• Look on television, in print or on buses for advertisements for Laredo lawyers who offer services that fit your needs. Since advertising is expensive, the fact that a Laredo lawyer is successful enough to pay for it is a good sign.
Things to Know Before Hiring a Laredo Lawyer

To ensure that your legal partnership is a success, you should have full confidence in your attorney at the outset, and, in turn, they should be forthright and honest with you. If you can’t say yes to all of these questions, reconsider the Laredo lawyer you are looking at before hiring them.

1. Is my Laredo lawyer a member of the State Bar of Texas? Not all Laredo lawyers have to be, but it’s certainly conspicuous when an attorney is not a member of their state’s bar association. Since state bars impose strict ethics codes, a lawyer who is not a member of their state bar could have had an ethics violation in the past.

2. Does my Laredo lawyer have malpractice insurance? Malpractice insurances indicates that your Laredo lawyer will be able to pay you if you successfully sue him for malpractice. The chances of this ever happening are very small, but it is customary for legitimate Laredo lawyers to be insured.

3. Has my Laredo lawyer never had a complaint filed against him? Ideally, your Laredo lawyer has a conflict-free past since there is always the risk that an attorney with a predatory history will attempt to take advantage of you. The Board of Disciplinary Appeals allows you to search their recent case files on their website.

4. Has my attorney attempted to hide anything from me or been cagey about fees? Clients and attorneys must be able to fully communicate with each other for their case to be a success. If you want to avoid greater problems down the road, make sure that your Laredo lawyer is fully honest and forthright about what fees they will charge you. Never enter into a contract with a Laredo lawyer before discussing and agreeing on a payment plan.