By: Lauren Stahl
When you need to find a lawyer for your business, where do you look? Likely, the internet. So, what makes one lawyer better than another? Lawyers who have awards listed on their websites must be good lawyers…right?
Don’t be swayed by the fancy awards, badges, and seals on a lawyer’s website. A lawyer can buy some of these awards (i.e., “vanity” or “ego” awards), and it can be difficult to tell whether the award was earned through achievement or bought as a marketing tactic. Examples of these so-called vanity awards include awards from the American Institution of Legal Counsel, Best of the Best Attorneys, Best Attorneys of America, and the American Academy of Attorneys.
The important thing is to ask questions. How did the lawyer earn the award? Are there certain requirements a lawyer must meet to earn the award? How many awards are earned or given out each year? You can potentially determine an award’s credibility through searching for the sponsor of the award and adding terms such as “marketing,” “vanity,” “scam,” and “ego.”
When choosing a lawyer for your business, there are practical considerations to keep in mind.
Depending on the legal issue your business faces, for example—contracts, negotiating the sale of a business, employee discrimination, or transactions involving negotiations and document preparation—a lawyer’s prior experience and practice area are important things to know. Most lawyers are not certified in a specialty, but lawyers can still be experts in specialized practice areas. You might also consider the convenience of the lawyer’s office location and the fees charged.
It’s recommended that you have a consult with an attorney. A consult will help you decide whether the lawyer respects you and your business ideas. Most business owners believe that it’s also important that their lawyer understand their business. Equally important is having a respectful, comfortable relationship. Also, if a lawyer does not explain things in a manner that you can understand, that can be a signal that they are not the best for you.
Where should you start looking for a lawyer? One of the best places to start is asking for recommendations from a trusted friend, relative, or business associate. Online reviews are not always a reliable source because they can be made up or written with bias. Advertisements can be useful. They can help you determine a lawyer’s practice area. But remember, all businesses have different legal issues that may not have straightforward solutions. And legal fees will vary greatly depending on the type of case and work involved.
When on a quest to find the right lawyer for your business, don’t believe everything you see or hear. Do your own research and ask questions to determine which lawyer is the right one for your business’s legal needs.
Lauren Stahl, at the time of this post, is a 2L at Penn State Dickinson Law. Formerly a medical researcher at the National Institutes of Health and Penn State College of Medicine, Lauren has interests in health law and business law. Lauren currently serves as Secretary of the Health Law Society, Philanthropy Chair of the Women’s Law Caucus, and is an Associate Editor of the Dickinson Law Review. She is also Professor Prince’s Research and Teaching Assistant.
Sources:
https://www.graham.law/blog/lawyer-vanity-award-scam-fake-honors/
https://www.internetlava.com/news/lawyer-ego-scams-what-you-need-to-know/
Photo Source:
https://www.graham.law/blog/lawyer-vanity-award-scam-fake-honors/
