How to Choose a Local Attorney: What to Look for Before You Hire a Lawyer
How to choose a local attorney. Choosing an attorney is an important decision. Whether you are dealing with a business dispute, planning your estate, buying or selling property, facing a family law matter, pursuing a personal injury claim, or trying to prevent a legal problem before it starts, the lawyer you choose can have a significant impact on both the process and the outcome.
And yet, many people do not know what they should actually look for.
A Google search for an “attorney in St. Louis” or “local lawyer near me” can produce hundreds of options. Websites promise experience. Advertisements promise results. Online directories provide ratings and reviews. Friends and family may have recommendations of their own.
But finding an attorney should involve more than choosing the first name that appears in a search.
The right lawyer should have experience relevant to your legal issue, communicate clearly, understand your objectives, and provide practical advice based on the circumstances of your case. When you choose a local attorney, you may also gain something particularly valuable: a lawyer who understands the courts, businesses, communities, and legal environment where your matter is taking place.
At the Law Office of Stephen G. Bell, we have served individuals, families, and businesses throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area since 1982. If you are looking for legal representation, here are some of the most important steps to consider before deciding whom to hire.
Step 1: Start With the Attorney’s Experience
Years in practice are not the only measure of a lawyer’s ability, but experience certainly matters.
An attorney who has spent decades handling legal matters has had opportunities to encounter different problems, personalities, negotiations, transactions, disputes, and unexpected complications. That experience can help a lawyer identify issues that may not be immediately obvious and develop practical solutions based on more than legal theory.
Ask questions such as:
- How long has the attorney practiced law?
- What types of matters does the attorney regularly handle?
- Does the lawyer have experience with cases or transactions similar to yours?
- Is the attorney licensed in the state where your matter is taking place?
- Does the lawyer have both transactional and litigation experience when relevant?
The goal is not simply to find the attorney who has practiced the longest. You want meaningful experience that can be applied to your particular legal problem.
Steve Bell has been engaged in private practice in metropolitan St. Louis since graduating from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1982 and is licensed to practice in both Missouri and Illinois.
That experience spans more than four decades of advising individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and businesses through important legal decisions and disputes.
Step 2: Look for Experience in the Area of Law You Need
Law covers an enormous range of subjects. The attorney who handled your friend’s divorce may not be the person you want reviewing a complicated business acquisition. Likewise, a lawyer whose practice primarily involves criminal defense may not be the appropriate choice to prepare an estate plan.
Before hiring an attorney, determine whether the lawyer regularly works in the area relevant to your situation. At the Law Office of Stephen G. Bell, our practice includes matters involving:
- Business Law: Business formation, contracts, transactions, asset and stock purchases and sales, and other concerns affecting business owners.
- Estate Planning & Probate: Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, estate planning, probate, and estate administration.
- Civil Litigation: Representation when individuals or businesses become involved in legal disputes.
- Real Estate Law: Legal assistance involving the purchase, sale, lease, and ownership of real estate.
- Family Law: Representation involving important legal matters affecting individuals and families.
- Personal Injury Law: Representation for people who have been injured due to the actions or negligence of others.
A lawyer who understands the specific area of law involved can more effectively identify the issues that matter and help you understand your available options.
Step 3: Consider the Advantages of Hiring a Local Attorney
There is a reason people often search specifically for a local attorney rather than simply “the best lawyer.”
Legal matters do not happen in a vacuum.
Courts have procedures. Counties have local rules, ordinances and practices. Real estate transactions involve local properties and government offices. Businesses operate within particular communities. Family and probate matters may move through local courts.
An attorney who has spent years practicing in the area may bring valuable familiarity with that legal environment.
For someone with a legal matter in the St. Louis area, choosing a lawyer who has practiced locally can mean working with someone who understands the region rather than approaching your matter from hundreds of miles away.
Steve Bell has practiced in the St. Louis metropolitan area since 1982. His office is located in Kirkwood, Missouri, and his professional and civic involvement has been deeply connected to the St. Louis community throughout his career.
Step 4: Research the Attorney’s Professional Reputation
A polished website can tell you how an attorney describes himself. Professional recognition can provide another perspective.
When researching lawyers, consider whether the attorney has received meaningful recognition from peers or professional organizations. Look beyond advertising claims and determine what a particular credential actually represents.
Steve Bell has earned an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest peer rating for professional excellence. The rating reflects evaluations concerning legal ability and ethical standards.
Professional reputation should not be the only factor in your decision, but it can provide useful additional information when evaluating an attorney’s qualifications, ethics, and standing within the legal community.
Step 5: Pay Attention to How the Attorney Communicates
Legal knowledge is important. The ability to communicate that knowledge is equally important to the client.
You should understand what is happening with your legal matter. A good attorney should be able to explain complicated issues in understandable terms, identify your options, discuss potential risks, and help you make informed decisions without unnecessarily burying you in legal terminology.
During your initial interactions with a lawyer, pay attention to the communication.
Does the attorney listen to your concerns?
Does the lawyer answer your questions directly?
Do you understand the explanation you are receiving?
Does the attorney seem interested in learning what you actually want to accomplish?
You should leave a productive conversation with a better understanding of your situation, not more confused than when you arrived.
Step 6: Choose an Attorney Who Wants to Understand Your Goals
Two clients can face similar legal issues and want very different outcomes.
A business owner may want to resolve a dispute quickly because preserving an important commercial relationship matters more than pursuing every available claim. Another client may believe litigation is necessary to protect a valuable financial interest.
A person planning an estate may prioritize simplicity. Someone with a larger or more complicated estate may need a different strategy.
There is rarely a universal solution.
Your attorney should take the time to understand what you are trying to accomplish before recommending how to accomplish it.
That means evaluating not only the legal issues but also the practical consequences of different strategies.
Step 7: Look for a Lawyer Who Thinks About Prevention, Not Just Litigation
One of the most valuable things an attorney can sometimes do is help you avoid needing a lawsuit in the first place.
Legal problems are often easier, and less expensive, to address before they become full-scale disputes.
A carefully drafted contract can clarify expectations before a business relationship goes wrong. Proper estate planning can reduce uncertainty for a family. Thoughtful review of a real estate agreement can identify an unfavorable provision before the document is signed.
This is where experience in both transactional law and litigation can be especially useful.
A lawyer who has seen how agreements become lawsuits may recognize potential problems while there is still time to address them.
At the Law Office of Stephen G. Bell, preventive law has long been an important part of our philosophy. We prepare and review documents with the goal of protecting our clients’ personal and business interests and, whenever possible, preventing disputes before they occur.
When a dispute cannot be avoided, we work to minimize its impact and pursue an effective resolution through negotiation, settlement, arbitration, or trial as appropriate.
Step 8: Understand the Fees and the Value You Are Receiving
Cost matters when choosing an attorney, but the lowest price does not necessarily provide the best value.
Legal work can affect valuable property, a business, an estate, family relationships, financial security, or the outcome of a significant dispute. Decisions made today can have consequences years into the future.
Before hiring an attorney, make sure you understand the firm’s fee arrangement and what services are included.
You should feel comfortable asking:
- How will I be charged?
- What costs might arise in addition to attorney fees?
- When will payments be due?
- What work is included?
- What circumstances could cause the cost to increase?
The goal should be effective legal representation at a fair value, not simply finding the cheapest available option.
Step 9: Consider Client Satisfaction and Testimonials
Awards and credentials can tell you something about an attorney’s professional reputation. Former clients can offer another perspective.
Client testimonials may provide insight into qualities that are difficult to capture on a résumé: responsiveness, professionalism, communication, personal attention, reliability, and the overall experience of working with the lawyer.
Do not base your entire decision on a handful of online reviews, but look for consistent themes.
At the Law Office of Stephen G. Bell, we believe there is a straightforward measure of success: client satisfaction.
A legal matter is not successful simply because a file has been closed. The representation should address what the client needed the lawyer to accomplish.
Step 10: Trust Matters in an Attorney-Client Relationship
Credentials, education, awards, and experience can help you develop a shortlist. Ultimately, however, you are entrusting an attorney with something important.
You need to be comfortable communicating openly with your lawyer.
You should believe your attorney understands your objectives, will protect confidential information, will tell you when there is a problem, and will give you candid advice, even when that advice is not necessarily what you hoped to hear.
A strong attorney-client relationship is built on integrity, confidentiality, professionalism, communication, and trust.
Those principles should be evident from your first interaction with the lawyer through the conclusion of your legal matter.
Local Experience Can Make a Difference | Law Office of Stephen G. Bell
The internet has made it possible to find thousands of attorneys in seconds. It has not made choosing the right attorney for you any less important.
Look beyond advertisements and search rankings. Consider experience, relevant practice areas, professional reputation, local knowledge, communication, fees, client satisfaction, and how seriously the attorney takes your objectives.
Most importantly, choose a local lawyer you trust to give you sound advice when the decisions matter.
For more than four decades, Steve Bell has represented individuals, families, and businesses throughout metropolitan St. Louis. From his office in Kirkwood, Steve provides experienced legal counsel focused on protecting clients’ interests, preventing legal problems when possible, and resolving disputes effectively when they arise.
If you need help with business law, estate planning and probate, civil litigation, real estate, family law, personal injury, or another legal concern, call 314-821-8212 or contact the Law Office of Stephen G. Bell to discuss your situation and learn how more than 40 years of local legal experience can be put to work for you.
