This website is designed to help you choose the right lawyer/attorney. Choosing the right attorney or lawyer for your legal representation can mean the difference between success and failure. A common misconception of the general public is that 'all attorneys are created equal'. Unfortunately, once you've selected an attorney, it can be costly to switch to a new attorney . Therefore it pays, when selecting a lawyer, attorney or law firm to 'get it right the first time'. USING THIS WEBSITE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT LAWYER, ATTORNEY AND LAW FIRMOnce you have conducted your search on the home page of this site, and clicked through to a particular attorney's personal details, you will obtain a wealth of information on that attorney. Listed below are some pointers to help you use this information to make the right choice. Suburb
Court most familiar with
Services and Areas of Specialisation
Average Hourly Fees
Number of Staff
Further pointers
Suburb
The advantages of having an attorney"close to home" are obvious, but if you don't find somebody suitable in your area, don't rule out searching further afield. We have specifically not broken down the dial code area in the main search into suburbs, as we do not believe that choosing the attorney down the road is necessarily the best way to find the most suitable attorney.
back to top Court
It is very useful to know which law courts your attorney is familiar with. Each court, and its personnel, have different quirks and idiosyncrasies, and the lawyer that has intimate knowledge of these has, in our opinion, a slight advantage over attorney's unfamiliar with the particular court.
back to top Services and Areas of Specialisation
Only attorney's who match the legal services that you request on the search page will appear in the search results. However, it is a good idea to see what other legal services the attorney offers. Many areas of law overlap and in some instances it is better to employ a "general practitioner" that has a good overview of many areas and can offer integrated, holistic advice. However, if the service you require is of a complex and specialised nature, it may be better to approach a lawyer that only works in one or two areas, as they will no doubt have more in-depth knowledge.
back to top Average Hourly Fees
The fee bands that appear on the website are only generalisations and usually attorney's charge different fees for different tasks. Fees also vary according to who will actually perform the different tasks required, possibly a senior partner for a complex task, and a junior staff member for another. However, our website should give you some idea of their charges and it is important to match up the right attorney with the complexity and quality that you require. back to top Number of Staff
Law firms firms range in size from nation-wide firms to one-person operations. Both have advantages. Large law firms can often provide more extensive back-up and specialists in different areas, whereas the smaller law firms often offer more intimate and personalised service. With larger law firms especially, it is important to ascertain who you will be dealing with - a Partner personally, or somebody else in the organisation. back to top FURTHER POINTERS TO FIND THE BEST ATTORNEYLocating a suitable attorney on this website is not, in itself, the end of the journey. No amount of information can replace a face-to-face meeting, and it is important that at this meeting you feel comfortable and confident with your chosen attorney. You should be looking to establishing a long-term relationship with your attorney and it is important to establish upfront things such as: - How often you will meet with each other ?
- Who you will be dealing with (the attorney personally or an assistant)?
- What sort of ongoing legal charges should you be budgeting on?
Last but not least, don't forget to mention to attorneys that you found them on this website. It will help us stay in business and improve our future services to both the South African attorney and you, their client. back to top
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