[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-321744-en":3,"doc-seo-321744-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":98},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},321744,1374404997633,"Dipper","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd",7,"Healthcare","What to Look For When Hiring an Attorney","Guidance for selecting a qualified estate planning attorney emphasizes evaluating credentials, expertise, and accountability rather than relying on advertisements or personal anecdotes. It outlines a structured set of questions, including law school background, trusted referrals, skepticism toward low-quality internet directories, publication record, bar exam performance, and public teaching or speaking. It also covers practical decision factors such as clear fee disclosure, professionalism, community respect, professional memberships, publications, and legal malpractice insurance.","What to Look For When Hiring an Attorney?  \nChoosing an attorney to represent you is obviously an  \nimportant task. The decision certainly should not be  \nmade on the basis of advertising alone. The Yellow Pages are filled with ads -all of which say basically the same thing. You should not hire based solely on advertising. Anyone can buy a slick commercial, even if they have never done an estate plan before.  \nYou also cannot rely solely on the recommendations of friends and family. The fact that Attorney Jones did a good job on Uncle Joe’s real estate deal or Cousin Sue’s divorce does not make him or her a qualified, experienced estate planning attorney.  \nSo, How Do You Choose?  \nHow do you determine which estate planning attorney is the best attorney for you and your family? There are certain questions to ask that will lead you to the best professional legal advice for your family. It will involve some investment of time on your part, but it’s time well spent. The world of estate planning is much too specialized for someone who does not regularly handle these matters. I frequently encounter cases that inexperienced attorneyshave handled, sometimes with devastating results.  \nHow Do You Find Out Who Is Good In Your Area?  \nTip \\#1 First, where did the attorney go to school? Was ita Tier I school? Naturally, Tier 1 schools are harder to get into and more competitive and they graduate the best and brightest attorneys.  \nTip \\#2 Get a referral from your CPA, financial advisor or insurance professional. They will probably have attorneys they have worked with in the past and who they trust to refer you to.  \nTip \\#3 Beware of internet “directories” promising to get you a qualified lawyer. Our firm is solicited almost daily by companies who offer to place us in their directories for a hefty fee. Most of these “directories of specialists”are a joke and say nothing about the real quality of the attorney.  \nTip \\#4 Is the attorney a published author? This often can be a sign that the attorney is actively engaged in his or her specialized area of law and is an authority on it.  \nTip \\#5 Did they pass the Bar Exam the first time they took it? California has virtually the hardest Bar Exam in the Country. On occasion, pass rates are as low as 35% statewide.  \nTip \\#6 The Yellow Pages. Be careful about the full-page ads. Make sure that the attorney you hire is selective enough with his or her cases that your important case does not become just one more file in the pile.  \nTip \\#7 Does the attorney teach any classes or speak publicly with any frequency? This will often signify that the attorney is an authority in his or her area of the law.  \nTip \\#8 Ask each attorney if they  \nhave a book or a web site where you can find out more about his or her qualifications and experience before you meet with them.  \nTip \\#9 Forget fancy slogans and hype. Slogans like “we care for you,”“we help you protect your assets,” are absolutely meaningless. After all, aren’t these the things that you would naturally expect from your estate-planning attorney?  \nTip \\#10 Here are some factors and good points to look for and question your attorney about. Note that not every attorney will meet all of these criteria, but the significant absence of the following should create a big question mark:  \n1. Clear disclosure of fee range before your appointment. Many estate-planning attorneys won’t disclose their fee ranges to you prior to your scheduled appointment time. This may make you uncomfortable. While it is impossible to quote you an exact fee ahead of time without knowing the particulars of your case, they should be willing to give you an estimated fee range. At the other end of the spectrum, be cautious with an attorney who quotes a fixed fee without talking to you about your case. They probably charge everyone the same fee because they pull an identical plan out of the file drawer for each client. This approach is probably not going to meet your family’s needs (","cbCailrCLUqIIjHL","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailrCLUqIIjHL","pdf",222369,8,1,2,"English","en",105,"# What to Look For When Hiring an Attorney?\n## How Do You Choose?\n## How Do You Find Out Who Is Good In Your Area?\n### Tip 1-10","[{\"question\":\"Why shouldn’t you hire an attorney based only on advertising?\",\"answer\":\"Advertising can be purchased and does not guarantee expertise or appropriate experience. The text warns against hiring solely because of slick ads or full-page advertisements.\"},{\"question\":\"What are key questions to ask when choosing an estate planning attorney?\",\"answer\":\"The guidance suggests checking education, referrals, whether the attorney publishes or teaches, bar exam results, and asking for qualifications through a book or website before meeting. It also recommends reviewing fee range disclosure.\"},{\"question\":\"What should you verify regarding fees and malpractice insurance?\",\"answer\":\"The attorney should provide an estimated fee range before the appointment and be cautious with fixed fees that do not discuss the case. The text also advises hiring someone who holds legal malpractice insurance, noting specific state requirements in California.\"}]","What to Look For When Hiring an Attorney | PDF",1789960129,5,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":92,"head_meta":94,"extra_data":96,"updated_unix":97},"what-to-look-for-when-hiring-an-attorney","",{"@graph":37,"@context":91},[38,54,74],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,48,51],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/what-to-look-for-when-hiring-an-attorney/321744/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"image":56,"author":61,"headline":13,"publisher":63,"fileFormat":66,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":67,"datePublished":68,"encodingFormat":66,"isAccessibleForFree":69,"interactionStatistic":70},"DigitalDocument",{"url":57,"@type":58,"width":59,"height":60},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/what-to-look-for-when-hiring-an-attorney/321744.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":9,"@type":62},"Person",{"url":42,"name":64,"@type":65},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-23","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":71,"interactionType":72,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":73},"ViewAction",{"@type":75,"mainEntity":76},"FAQPage",[77,83,87],{"name":78,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":80},"Why shouldn’t you hire an attorney based only on advertising?","Question",{"text":81,"@type":82},"Advertising can be purchased and does not guarantee expertise or appropriate experience. The text warns against hiring solely because of slick ads or full-page advertisements.","Answer",{"name":84,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":85},"What are key questions to ask when choosing an estate planning attorney?",{"text":86,"@type":82},"The guidance suggests checking education, referrals, whether the attorney publishes or teaches, bar exam results, and asking for qualifications through a book or website before meeting. It also recommends reviewing fee range disclosure.",{"name":88,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":89},"What should you verify regarding fees and malpractice insurance?",{"text":90,"@type":82},"The attorney should provide an estimated fee range before the appointment and be cautious with fixed fees that do not discuss the case. 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