Guide to Finding Pasadena Lawyer

Pasadena is a large city with an integral position in one of the most important metropolitan areas in the world—Los Angeles County. Its residents have important legal issues to deal with every day, from contract negotiations to real estate deals to tort motions and even criminal defenses. For all these concerns and everything in between, Pasadena lawyers are an essential resource that residents should make a point of seeking.

Types of Pasadena Lawyers

Generally speaking, there are only a few types of courts that a Pasadena lawyer can practice in, each with its own specific legal concerns. These different areas of law are a good way of summarizing the different types of lawyers Pasadena California has to offer.

• Criminal Law: These are the cases where the government, as represented by the district attorney or case prosecutor, charges a private individual with a crime against society. These crimes can range from traffic violations to murder, though traffic violations usually go in their own separate court, located at 200 North Garfield Avenue.

• Tort Law: When private entities such as individuals or businesses sue another private entity, they are registering a tort. These complaints are less severe than criminal charges but can still result in crippling fines. Pasadena lawyers are needed both to assist those filing complaints and those defending themselves.

• Family Law: This the area of law meant to help regulate family units. Marriage and divorce, child support and custody, and protection orders are all legal concepts that belong to family law. Most residents participating in these cases feel the need to hire Pasadena lawyers to ensure that their voices are heard during the proceedings.

• Appellate Law: When a case in one of the other branches is deciding incorrectly, the losing party will usually try to appeal the decision in an Appeals Court, especially if they have proof of untoward acting on the part of the government or jury during the original trial. Appeals are very complicated and should only be attempted by well-trained Pasadena lawyers. Appellate cases are brought by Pasadena lawyers to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals at 125 South Grand Avenue.

Specializations for Lawyers Pasadena CA

Any Pasadena lawyer you find is perfectly qualified to hear all the types of cases above and more. That’s because law school training is a rigorous and all-encompassing education, and the California Bar Examination makes sure that all students are well-versed in every area of law before they can become Pasadena lawyers. However, some individuals want to hire Pasadena lawyers with extensive experience with cases similar to their own, and for them, the State Bar of California has created legal specializations.

Lawyers are only awarded legal specializations if they are unusually adept at one field of law. Qualifications vary by field, by they usually include five years of experience and additional education and testing with some peer review procedure. There are 11 types of Specializations currently being offered:

• Admiralty and Maritime Law

• Appellate Law

• Bankruptcy Law

• Criminal Law

• Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law

• Family Law

• Franchise and Distribution Law

• Immigration and Nationality Law

• Legal Malpractice Law

• Taxation Law

• Workers' Compensation Law

No one recommends that you should disqualify all Pasadena lawyers without Specializations since that would mean throwing out all sorts of wonderful lawyers who may be just as experienced as those with Specializations and who may even be able to do a better job than a Specialist. Yet the tough requirements of the Specialization program makes sure that all Specialist Pasadena lawyers you find will be more than qualified to help you win in court.

Finding Lawyers Pasadena CA

There are numerous methods for locating excellent Pasadena lawyers from legal directories to personal recommendations to advertisements, but one of the least well-known but most effective is legal referral services. Using one involves giving information about the area you live in and why you need a Pasadena lawyer to a trained representative from the service. In turn, they’ll give you the number of a Pasadena lawyer particularly well-suited to assist your case.

Referral services aren’t free. They usually cost somewhere between $20 and $70, but your first consultation with the referred to Pasadena lawyer is included. But the real reason they are so worthwhile is that every Pasadena lawyer they recommend has been pre-screened, so you know you’re getting a Bar member in good standing. The Los Angeles County Bar Association offers a referral service that can be reached by phone at (213) 243-1525 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Reporting Problems for Lawyers Pasadena CA

You hire a Pasadena lawyer because of painful circumstances, whether its a personal injury complaint that you want to file or its a criminal charge you need to clear your name of. It makes sense that with such high stakes, in such a stressful time, passions can boil over into conflict with the Pasadena lawyer you’ve hired. Most of these conflicts are minor and can be resolved with a little patience and even-headedness.

If, after a period of reflection, you believe that your Pasadena lawyer, has committed an ethics violation, you should immediately file a complaint against them. Examples of ethics violations include ignoring attorney-client privilege to disseminate your case information without your permission or neglecting your case so that irreparable damage was done. These types of violations should be reported to The State Bar of California, which can be reached at (800) 843-9053.

Ethics violations do not include conflicts about legal fees. If you are fighting with your Pasadena lawyer about their legal fees, you should seek Fee Dispute Arbitration. This is a service that allows you to speak with your Pasadena lawyer and try to seek a resolution in a setting less formal than a court with a disinterested professional observing and helping the discussion. The Los Angeles County Bar Association runs a Fee Dispute service, which can be reached at (213) 896-6426.