Lawyers are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you gonna get. Now that we understand some of the key attributes to look out for in a good litigation lawyer, as well as bearing in mind your needs and budget, let us explore some ways by which to find a suitable good lawyer.

HOW TO FIND THAT GOOD LAWYER

1. Google It

The power of google. You can probably find some lawyers with excellent CVs on the internet, including the areas of law which they specialize in and what they are experienced in. However, google is unable to tell you whether they possess attributes like conviction in your cause, advocacy skills, cost-effectiveness and various other X-factors. Importantly, you will not be able to find out from google how much they will cost you. Furthermore, not all good litigation lawyers have a strong web presence, especially those from the older generation of old-school litigators.

2. Cold Calls / Walk In

This step usually follows after doing a preliminary Internet search, or after watching a television commercial, and you have randomly obtained the phone numbers of some law firms.

However, you will usually not derive much from cold-calls or walk-ins, just as how you may not derive much from window-shopping. Lawyers can assess the seriousness of your enquiry, or whether you are just scouting around for free legal advice from an assortment of law firms in Raffles Place or Chinatown. That being said, there are occasionally some cold-call / walk-in clients who do end up becoming good clients of the law firm.

3. Newspapers

From time to time, you will see the names of certain lawyers appear in the newspapers for various court cases. Assess the results of the cases they are mentioned for. If they are consistently making new law or achieving relatively good results in the circumstances, they may well be worth approaching to act for you. Alternatively, there may be lawyers who provide free legal opinions or articles on various aspects of law in the newspapers. These may be experts who may be able to assist you.

4. Recommendation from Family or Friends

Perhaps the best way to find a good litigation lawyer is to ask around your family or friends or even acquaintances (especially lawyer friends) that may have experienced litigation before and were represented by a competent lawyer, or who are aware of one. Nothing beats a personal recommendation or endorsement, and you would have a more objective manner of assessing whether this lawyer’s CV is truly representative of what he claims he is able to do.

Conclusion

Lawyers are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you gonna get.

This is unless of course you do your research, and ask around for recommendations or confirmation.

If you do manage to find that “good lawyer,” then you may no longer be lonely at the top, and you will certainly also enjoy your box of chocolates.

The usual disclaimer: All opinions expressed on www.singaporelitigationlawyer.com are entirely my own. Importantly, my opinions do not constitute legal advice and you should definitely formally engage a lawyer to confirm, vary or refute my views.

To Sue or Not to Sue: Demystifying Litigation in Singapore @ www.singaporelitigationlawyer.com © Dominic Chan, a Singapore litigation lawyer. All rights reserved.