What Qualities Matter Most When You're Hiring a Lawyer?

Getty Images Few people enjoy hiring lawyers. That's just a fact. If it takes a serious automobile accident, a divorce, or a death in the family to get you into a lawyer's office, then pretty much by definition, you're visiting under duress. But when trouble strikes and you actually need a lawyer, how do you pick one? According to Lawyers.com, the cost of legal services varies widely, from as little as $50 an hour to as much as $1,000 "or more." With such a wide range of prices to choose from, you'd think that the first factor people would look for in a lawyer is price -- specifically, a low price. Something closer to that $50 mark than to the $1,000, and as far away as possible from that ominous "or more." That turns out to not be the case. Earlier this month, online "legal Q&A forum, directory and marketplace" Avvo.com asked its users what they look for in a lawyer. While cost certainly was a factor (65 percent of respondents called it "very important"), it wasn't as important as "respect in the legal community," which 67 percent of those surveyed think is more important, or "track record" (80 percent). So it would appear that hiring a lawyer is actually a bit like buying a car. Price plays a role, of course, but more important is buying the right product, and getting good value for your money. Further bolstering the point, it appears that people who have more experience with lawyers are even more inclined to choose perceived quality over price. As Avvo's results reveal, the people most likely (72 percent) to pick a cheap lawyer over a good lawyer are those who've never used a lawyer before. Let's Get Personal All other things being equal, though, what specific qualities should you look for when choosing between two lawyers charging equivalent prices for their services? According to consumers polled by Avvo, the top three personal qualities that most customers look for when choosing a lawyer are confidence, realism, and aggressiveness. These beat out qualities such as friendliness, ability to reassure a client, or compassion. As Avvo explains, the feedback it got from its respondents is that when seeking a lawyer, they're looking for someone who's "a realistic go-getter" rather than "a hand-holder." And again, this makes sense. After all, the law is a complex thing. Most of us would much rather leave it alone, and not have to deal with it if at all possible -- which is one reason we avoid lawyers in the first place. It makes sense then that if you do run into some bad luck and find yourself with a legal dilemma that absolutely, positively, must be dealt with by a lawyer, you'd prefer to hand it over lock, stock, and barrel to a confident, realistic, and aggressive professional and let them deal with it. And really, for $1,000 an hour "or more," that's the least they could do.