What Qualities Should You Look for When Hiring an Attorney?
Hiring the right attorney can be challenging for several reasons. Not only can it be overwhelming to sift through the sheer number of attorneys to choose from, but it also can be difficult to gauge an attorney’s expertise and experience in a particular area of law without prior knowledge or experience with the legal system. Another challenge can be finding an attorney who is a good personal fit for you — someone who you can easily talk to and who respects your individual needs and preferences.
In this blog, we will unpack what to look for when hiring an attorney in Gainesville, FL and share more about the value system that our attorneys align with to ensure our clients’ best interests stay top of mind.
Qualifications and Experience
When looking for an attorney, you will want to make sure that they have a solid foundation of competency, which is experience in the area of law that you need help with. There are many different areas of law, so it is important to find an attorney who specializes in the area that you need assistance with. For example, if you need help with an injury following a car accident, you will want to find an attorney who specializes in personal injury.
At Avera & Smith, we are not a “mega firm” that looks at clients as numbers instead of people. Instead, we have distinct areas of specialty and have carefully built our expertise and created our reputation for putting clients first.
Communication Skills & Compassion
Another important quality to look for in an attorney is good communication skills. You should be able to communicate easily with your attorney and feel confident that they understand your situation. It is important to find an attorney who is a good listener and who can explain things in a way that you can understand. It is also important to find an attorney who is compassionate and caring. You should feel like your attorney cares about your case and is fighting for what is best for you — values we take pride in at Avera & Smith.
Detail-Oriented
A good attorney sweats the small stuff because it’s often the small stuff that makes the most difference in legal cases. This means that your attorney should be detail-oriented, carefully paying attention to all the details of your case and making sure that everything is taken care of. This helps not only with ensuring critical evidence like documentation and paperwork is order, but it also helps create the attorney’s strategic approach to getting you the justice that you deserve.
Trustworthy
Trustworthiness is truly critical when it comes to hiring an attorney in Gainesville, FL, as we have had clients share their experiences with other local money-driven attorneys who would not go the extra mile for them and instead, made them settle for far less than fair value. You need to be able to trust your attorney to handle your case properly and keep confidential information about your case private. Additionally, you should feel comfortable not only trusting your attorney with sensitive information but also believing that your attorney will work hard to get the best possible outcome for your case.
Our Values at Avera & Smith
In our firm, we put clients first and genuinely care about each individual’s well-being. We take a personal interest in each case and do not treat our clients as just another case number. Because of this shared value and a genuine motivation to help, our attorneys are not focused solely on settlement amounts or winning at any cost. Instead, they prioritize their clients’ needs and strive for a fair and just outcome, as evidenced in the words of one of our recent clients:
“I would like to say how grateful I am for each of you. Your dedication, the professionalism exhibited and the guidance given made me feel I was represented by the best team of lawyers. Even though this has been extremely difficult for me and my children, you showed great compassion, sensitivity and, most of all, a genuine concern for my best interest for a positive outcome… Thankful, blessed and honored to have met such a terrific team of lawyers. — C.”
In conclusion, hiring an attorney in Gainesville, FL can be a daunting task, but it is well worth the effort to find the right fit. By choosing an experienced, compassionate and caring attorney, clients can not only receive expert legal representation — but they will also have a support system throughout their entire legal journey. An attorney who prioritizes your needs can truly make all the difference in the outcome of your legal case. As such, it is crucial to perform due diligence and take advantage of free consultations to gauge an attorney’s expertise and determine whether they are a good fit. Don’t be afraid to shop around and ask for referrals from trusted sources. By putting in the effort to find the right attorney, you can gain peace of mind knowing that you have someone who will truly fight for what is best for you, treat you with respect, and put your needs above all else. That is what you will find at Avera & Smith — we are here to help.