Speak to the experts like those at www.hudsonmckenzie.com and they’ll tell you that the decision you make when hiring an employment lawyer could be one of the most pivotal you’ll ever make in your life. Get it right and you could be looking at a successful case that brings you both justice and closure – get it wrong and you could be looking at an unmitigated disaster that also happens to be cripplingly expensive. And of course, it’s not as if these kinds of lawyers are ever hired for ‘pleasant’ reasons as such, which in turn means that anyone looking to do so really does owe it to themselves to make the right choice.
In terms of how exactly to make sure this is the case, it all comes down to the way in which the search process is handled and how the available lawyers are vetted. One of the most important elements of the search process of all is that of the preliminary interview or consultation, which should of course be offered free of charge. During this meeting, you’ll have every opportunity to ask any and all questions of importance – knowing which questions to ask therefore is a pretty important job in its own right.
So, while the specifics of every case across the board will have at least some bearing on what you should be asking, here’s a quick look at five of the comprehensively relevant and important questions any employment lawyer should be asked before being hired:
1 – In Which Area of Employment Law Do You Specialise?
Before going any further with the hiring process, you might want to spare a thought for the fact that employment law is a highly complicated subject area with a great many different sub-areas. For example, while there are some lawyers who have exceptional experience in small business matters, others are better with larger corporate mergers. And while some have excellent track records working with discrimination cases, others are better with wrongful dismissal claims. Find out what it is they do best and make sure it ties in with your needs.
2 – How Often Are You Successful?
There isn’t a lawyer in the world that succeeds all the time without fail – this question is more a test of honesty than anything else. A lawyer will generally only ever be as successful as the nature of the case they’re working with. After all, it doesn’t matter how hard you fight for any given cause – if it’s doomed to failure, it’s doomed to failure. So, really you should be looking for a lawyer with a solid enough success record but also a lawyer who isn’t afraid to admit their past shortcomings. We all learn, grow and become stronger from our mistakes – lawyers are no exceptions to the rule.
3 – Tell Me About Your Fees and Charges
Another area in which honesty matters more than pretty much anything else is that of fees and charges. Some lawyers will instinctively offer little to no information with something of a ‘sort it later’ attitude, while others will insist on being honest and open about every charge. Likewise, some will give you a list of terms and conditions the likes of which you’d have to be a lawyer to understand, while others are brilliantly transparent and offer the simplest of contracts with little to no complicated terms attached. The long and short of it is that you need to know exactly what you will be expected to pay and when you will be expected to pay it – anything less is unacceptable.
4 – What Makes You the Best Choice?
As it’s you that’s interviewing the lawyer, they should be ready and willing to plead their case as to why they should be chosen. As such, there’s no sense in beating about the bush – ask them outright why it is you should choose them and see how convincing they are. If they can’t win you over and you still have any doubts as to their suitability for you, try elsewhere.
5 – When Should I Let You Know My Decision?
Last up, any lawyer in the habit of rushing clients into making decisions is a lawyer you want nothing to do with. These are some of the most important decisions you will ever make in the course of your life and as such should not be rushed under any circumstances. So, if they tell you that it’s a case of making the decision now or never, chances are it’s for their own benefit and not yours.