Never hired a solicitor, and now I need a (good) one. Tips for finding one ?

SameHorse

Hi folks,
i've never employed the services of a solicitor before.

How would you recommend I go about selecting one of the, what seems like hundreds of, solicitors in Galway ? I'll also accept recommendations via PM if you feel you know a good one.

my main criteria is someone who is relatively expedient and is true to their word i.e. if they say they're going to write & send a letter by the end of the week they actually do exactly that or at least come close to it.


Also, if a solicitor is working on two cases for you (for example), do you get charged everytime you call into the office (by appointment of course) to provide more info or discuss how things are proceeding etc... or do you just get a bill when the work is complete ? I suppose in such case the bill includes all the consultations anyway ? Any kind of opinions or insight on what is 'common' or 'normal' in this regard would be greatly appreciated....what to expect, what to ask...

thanks

blubloblu

SameHorse wrote: »

Hi folks,
i've never employed the services of a solicitor before.

How would you recommend I go about selecting one of the, what seems like hundreds of, solicitors in Galway ? I'll also accept recommendations via PM if you feel you know a good one.

my main criteria is someone who is relatively expedient and is true to their word i.e. if they say they're going to write & send a letter by the end of the week they actually do exactly that or at least come close to it.


Also, if a solicitor is working on two cases for you (for example), do you get charged everytime you call into the office (by appointment of course) to provide more info or discuss how things are proceeding etc... or do you just get a bill when the work is complete ? I suppose in such case the bill includes all the consultations anyway ? Any kind of opinions or insight on what is 'common' or 'normal' in this regard would be greatly appreciated....what to expect, what to ask...

thanks

It would probably help if you mentioned which area of law you need help for.

SameHorse

Thanks for the response blublo...

on the one hand: wills, inheritance
and on the other: personal insolvency, mortgage debt


don't really need advice in how to proceed in that respect though, just advice on how to go about finding a good solicitor who fits the criteria i listed above (relatively expedient & true to his word) ... so that he can act as a liaison, send some letters, and submit some paperwork. and of course any anecdotal comments, opinions or insights into how the whole billing thing can usually work out would also be greatly appreciated..

ResearchWill

SameHorse wrote: »

Thanks for the response blublo...

on the one hand: wills, inheritance
and on the other: personal insolvency, mortgage debt


don't really need advice in how to proceed in that respect though, just advice on how to go about finding a good solicitor who fits the criteria i listed above (relatively expedient & true to his word) ... so that he can act as a liaison, send some letters, and submit some paperwork. and of course any anecdotal comments, opinions or insights into how the whole billing thing can usually work out would also be greatly appreciated..

A good start is friends and family who have had to use the service of a solicitor. After that research as you are doing.

Billing is as you can imagine the cause of a lot of problems. But best is have the chat at the very start and agree either a set price for work or a price based on time. Also it's worth asking the solicitor if paying time based to inform you as certain amounts are hit. I know of a few solicitors who set up affordable Direct Debits at the start, which can lead to the happy event that when job is finished the client receives a refund as they have paid more than the final bill.

But best bit of advice set out what you expect and what the solicitor expects at the start. Remember each meeting with solicitor will cost you as at the end of the day he needs to make a living and time is how he does it.

In relation to promising to get a letter out on time, all solicitors are very aware of time and more importantly time limits, but remember in a very busy practice a letter dictated on Monday may not get out in the post for a couple of days. A busy solicitor can have many hundreds of active files at anyone time, but as long as ye both have set out what is expected and you are willing to pay for what ever service level you require then there should be no problem.

SameHorse

thanks will, that was definitely very helpful!

on the subject of expedience, of course, I am a very reasonable person! it's just that the previous solicitor who was supposed to be handling these affairs {his parents family are vaguely known, neighbours or something, to my uncle. only reason he chose him} has literally absconded from his practice, and we are now told by his colleagues that all the paper work he had claimed to have done, letters written & sent, forms filled etc etc - was never done. we were waiting MONTHS on replies, anxiously but patiently. I can't go into details but the sheer magnitude & gravity of what is at stake here can't be overemphasized - so having had that experience i feel i can safely say that i have reasonable expectations !
We're just very grateful he never had a chance to handle any finances before he absconded, we can only imagine how that might have played out. I keep expecting to see his name in the paper.


anyway without any recommendations coming in from friends/family i must admit it does still feel like a bit of a 'crapshoot' trying to choose a solicitor, but with your helpful insights i will just call into a few for a quick chat and choose one based on that.
it's a pity, but a "rate my solicitor" website would be useful. but after a quick google it seems there was one, but it was shut done. no surprise of course!
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/101307

any other tips, or even recommendations via PM, will of course still be appreciated!
thanks people.