| Cases and Resources
Chapter 6: Lawyers
When Do
You Need a Lawyer?
How Do You Find a Lawyer?
Working With Your Lawyer
When
Do You Need a Lawyer?
American
Bar Association
The American Bar Association has a referral site that can
connect you with someone in your area to help you determine
whether or not you need a lawyer. If you do need a lawyer,
the ABA can also assist you in finding a lawyer or an agency
to help.
Legal
Help Checklist
This checklist, created by the Missouri Bar, is meant to help
you decide if you need a lawyer. Read through this list and
determine what situations in the future may trigger your need
for legal advice.
State Bar Associations
Every state has its own bar association. Bar associations
often provide services to help you determine if you need a
lawyer, and if so, how to find the appropriate lawyer for
your issue. Look at the Kansas
Bar Association and the State
Bar of California for examples.
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How
Do You Find a Lawyer?
Referral Services
If you find that you need a lawyer, you may want to use a
legal referral service to find the best lawyer for your situation.
The American
Bar Association and Martindale-Hubbell
Law Library provide such referral services.
Lawyers
Advertising Ethics: By State
The American Bar Association allows any person to click on a state and discover the guidelines for advertising, soliciting, or marketing legal services. Click on your state and compare the rules to those in other states.
Bates
v.
State Bar of Arizona
Read the Supreme Court’s opinion in the case of Bates
v. State Bar of Arizona that is mentioned in your
textbook. You may also browse a short
description of the case.
Comparing Advertisements for Lawyers
Compare and contrast the advertisements of two lawyers, one
from Pennsylvania
and the other from California. What are the lawyers' areas of expertise? What are the
differences between the advertisements? Is one more effective
than the other? Do the ads provide disclaimers, reminding
you that the advertisements are not legal advice? What promises
of an outcome, if any, are made in the ads?
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Working
With Your Lawyer
A
Good Attorney
When a client does not know what to look for in a lawyer or
what to expect from legal service, the client may become dissatisfied
with his or her attorney. Learn more about how a good attorney
conducts himself or herself and what you should expect from
your attorney.
The
Attorney-Client Relationship
The trust in an attorney-client relationship is based on responsible
and professional conduct from both the attorney and the client.
Explore the expectations each party should strive to meet.
Professional
Responsibility
Lawyers are bound to a certain code of ethics. Each state
has its own code of ethics that closely resembles the model
created by the American Bar Association. Read about the professional
responsibility issues the ABA addresses and what types of
rules lawyers must follow in their practices to avoid disciplinary
measures.
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