How To Find An Attorney Using The Internet - Law - Civil Law

As easy as it has become to find products and services through the Internet, you might be tempted to find an attorney by simply typing "find lawyer" or "find attorney" in the search engine.

Sorry, no such luck.

Finding an attorney that is competent and affordable takes a little more research and thoughtful consideration.

However, the Internet can be used to assist in your attorney search or to research a potential attorney after you have narrowed your choices.

Using Online Referral Services To Find A Lawyer

Online lawyer referral services are great tools to find an attorney. However, you need to understand that the online referral services are usually subscription based. This means that, for a fee, the service will place the attorney (along with a list of his qualifications) into their online database.

When you use one of these services to find an attorney, you are actually searching their database for an attorney in your area that has paid to be included in the database.

Now, this does not mean that the information listed is not true, or that the attorney is not competent and well qualified. Just understand that the referral service is not a source of unbiased information.

So, you need to search further.

Find Lawyers Through Your State Bar Website

Your state bar association website can be useful to find a lawyer who is licensed as a specialist in a certain area of the law. It is also often a source of information as to whether or not your attorney has ever received any disciplinary sanctions by the state bar association.

Most state bar associations are regulatory agencies, not referral services. As such, other than being used to find lawyers that are board certified, the association is usually prohibited by law from referring you to a specific attorney.

As such, a bar association website should be used to screen a particular candidate after you find attorneys that fit your list of qualifications.

Find An Attorney Using Google, Bing! or Yahoo!

Online search engines can be used to effectively screen an attorney once you have narrowed the field. By entering the name of the lawyer or law firm into the search engine, you will be able to find an attorney's website and any news articles concerning the attorney of his firm.

Attorney or law firm websites can be very useful resources in your attorney search as they will often contain more detailed information about the attorney's practice, his education and, in some cases, news articles about interesting cases or verdicts. Just remember that, like a referral service, the information is supplied by the attorney or firm and does not represent a disinterested overview of the attorney.

In addition to firm websites, you can learn a lot of information about an attorney by simply perusing the search engine results. The results will usually return unbiased news articles about the attorney or his firm and reveal any community activities or organizations that he or she holds a membership.

Use The Internet To Find Lawyers: But Beware Of The Limitations

When you learn how to find an attorney the right way using the Internet, you minimize the chances of falling victim to a catchy ad or slick website. Instead, using the Internet to find an attorney should be one more way you to assist you in your attorney search.

Use it effectively, but understand the limitations of using the Internet to find lawyers.

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