Guide to Finding Riverside Lawyer

If you are looking for a lawyer in Riverside, California, you may be overwhelmed by your options. With pages of Riverside lawyers in the telephone book, how can you find the one that is best for you? Finding legal representation doesn't have to be filled with stress. This guide can show you how to tailor your focus and understand the role of Riverside lawyers in legal proceedings, as well as helping you to begin the process of finding a Riverside lawyer to represent you.

Narrowing Your Focus

In order to understand what kind of Riverside lawyer you need, you first need to think about your case in broad terms. Are you involved in a criminal action (where the state prosecutes you for a crime) or a civil action (in which one party sues another)? The vast majority of Riverside lawyers specialize in either criminal or civil law, so just determining whether your case is criminal or civil can help you narrow the field of prospective Riverside lawyers considerably.

Riverside lawyers can focus on many areas. Currently, lawyers in Riverside practice tax law, insurance law, immigration law, education law, family law, divorce law, personal injury law, medical malpractice law, environmental law, employment law, and more.

Consider the issues in your case. What kind of legal issues are brought up—employment related, personal injury related, education related? If you can determine what practice area your Riverside lawyer needs to have, you can begin to narrow your focus even more.

Your Lawyer's Role

When you begin a lawyer-client relationship, it is important to understand the role that your Riverside lawyer will play as your legal representative. Here are some ways that Riverside lawyers can assist you with your case:

 In criminal proceedings, a Riverside lawyer specializing in criminal defense can help you to obtain an advantageous plea bargain, helping you to avoid fines or jail time.

 Your lawyer can have tests and investigations conducted that pertain to your case, to help your side win.

 Your Riverside lawyer can negotiate a settlement with an insurance company, person, or organization and help you to understand the terms of the settlement.

 Your lawyer can make a case for you to keep child custody or receive alimony.

 Your lawyer can help you to understand legal terminology and concepts that are relevant to helping you make a legal decision.

 Your lawyer can offer legal advice based on his or her past experience and knowledge of the law.

What Your Lawyer Can't Do

You must keep in mind that your lawyer represents you, but does not have control of your legal decisions. While it is likely that any Riverside lawyer you pick to represent you will give you legal advice (indeed, that is probably among the reasons you hired a lawyer in the first place!), you are under absolutely no obligation to follow any advice given to you by Riverside lawyers.

Your Riverside lawyer is bound by ethical codes of conduct not to force your decisions. If you want to settle—or not—it's your choice. If you choose to plea bargain or want to go to a criminal trial, you get to make the decision. Riverside lawyers are there to represent you and to help you show the side that you want judges and insurance companies to see, rather than to insert their own point of view.

Legal Fee Structures

One of the most stressful parts of seeking legal representation is the cost. Legal services are performed by trained professionals, like Riverside lawyers, and because of that, the costs can be high. California lawyers are bound to ask only for “reasonable” fees, but even those fees can seem out of reach to many people.

Some Riverside lawyers charge hourly—tax lawyers, for instance, and many business lawyers operate mostly on an hourly billing fee structure. A Riverside lawyer specializing in criminal defense is more likely to operate based on a flat fee depending on the criminal charge. If you are facing criminal charges, “shopping around” for Riverside lawyers whose fees are lower could help you to afford competent private representation.

If you are suing due to a personal injury or medical malpractice situation, Riverside lawyers may be able to take your case on a contingency fee basis. When a Riverside lawyer works for you on contingency, you owe nothing up front. Instead, you pay a percentage of your total award that is agreed to by you and your Riverside lawyer. If you lose your case and it was taken on contingency, you do not owe your Riverside lawyer anything.

Finding Riverside Lawyers

California has over 160,000 lawyers, so finding the right one can be tricky. You can start finding Riverside lawyers by first asking friends, neighbors, or family members who might have needed a Riverside lawyer to handle a legal matter.

If you have difficulty finding a suitable Riverside lawyer through word of mouth, you can also use one of California's certified lawyer referral services. For a list of these services, which can help you to find Riverside lawyers who are experienced with similar cases to yours, you can visit the website of the California State Bar.

Investigating Riverside Lawyers

While most Riverside lawyers operate in accordance with California's established ethical guidelines for attorneys, your peace of mind may benefit from doing some investigation. The California State Bar also keeps records of what lawyers have been disciplined for ethics violations, and you can research any potential Riverside lawyer on the state bar's website before you decide to enter into a lawyer-client relationship.

Your First Consultation

If you have had any questions about your legal situation, an initial consultation (which is generally free or costs only a nominal amount) is a great way to get to know potential Riverside lawyers and get your questions answered. Write down your legal questions ahead of time so that you can ask your Riverside lawyer everything you intended to. You should also bring a pen and paper to take notes on the answers, as well as to write down anything else that strikes you and could aid in your decision about whether or not to enter into a lawyer-client relationship. Everything you say during your initial consultation, much like everything you say in a lawyer-client relationship, will be kept confidential, so don't worry about revealing sensitive or embarrassing personal information if it's necessary for your Riverside lawyer to understand your situation.